Mendaera, a startup aiming to bring robotics to radiation therapy, announced Thursday that it has raised $73 million in funding.
VC firm Threshold Ventures led the Series B funding round, with participation from Lux Capital, PFM Health Sciences, and Fred Moll (founder of Intuitive Surgical and Auris Health). Silicon Valley-based Mendaera is working to commercialize handheld intervention platforms that incorporate robotics, artificial intelligence, imaging, and virtual connectivity.
Leaders said the product is designed for use in a variety of medical specialties and practice settings as the company works to improve access to needle-based interventional treatments.
“Traditional surgical robots have established a foothold in the operating room,” Mendaera founder and CEO Josh DeFonzo said in a Sept. 26 announcement. “However, robotics and AI have evolved to the point where they offer far-reaching benefits to all parts of the healthcare system, enabling higher standards of care for more patients.”
DeFonzo et al. highlighted the increasing demand for interventional procedures amid a shortage of health care workers. They hope that leveraging this new technology will enhance the availability of common procedures such as biopsies, access to organs and blood vessels, and pain management interventions.
Mendaera will use the funding to complete development of its robotic technology (not yet FDA cleared), accelerate AI and connectivity capabilities, and begin clinical implementation of the platform. The company partnered with ultrasound manufacturer Butterfly Network in December to integrate the two technologies, and closed a Series A funding round in August 2023.
