If you have a great idea for a medical device or have already founded your own medical company, chances are that you’ll eventually need to secure some funding to bring your product to market.
Medical device venture capital (VC) firms specialize in providing startup technology companies in the medical sector with the capital, resources and expertise they need to grow their companies, mature their technology, establish compliance with regulatory bodies and bring their products to the marketplace.
Choosing a medical device VC firm to partner with for your company’s future is as much about finding the right fit as it is about getting the best deal. A venture capital firm with connections and resources in your niche is an extremely valuable partner, and you’ll find that many MedTech VC firms focus their investments on just a few types of medical devices.
To help connect your organization with the biggest players in medical device venture capital, we’ve created this list of the top 20 most active venture capital firms in the medical devices sector.
These organizations topped our list by completing the highest number of medical device investment deals between January 1st, 2013 and the present day, according to CBInsights. We’ve ranked investors by total number of deals over the past five years so you can see what firms are the most active and aggressive in funding and supporting medical device development.
NEW ENTERPRISE ASSOCIATES
Number of Deals since January 1st, 2013: 65
Founded: 1977
Website: www.nea.com
Portfolio Highlights: Acclarent, Earlnes, CVRx
New Enterprise Associates is a full service venture capital firm that makes investments ranging from $50,000 to $20 million in companies in virtually every sector of the economy. The venture capital giant focuses on new and emerging technologies, funding projects in big data, financial technology, cloud computing, solar and nuclear energy and semiconductors. On the medical side, they’ve invested in healthcare service firms, healthcare IT products, life sciences, biotechnology and medical devices, completing 65 medical device investment deals over the past 5 years.
A truly global firm, New Enterprise has funded companies worldwide in places like China, India, Brazil, and across the United States. The firm is based in Menlo Park, California.
VERSANT VENTURES
Number of Deals since January 1st, 2013: 51
Founded: 1999
Website: https://www.versantventures.com/
Portfolio Highlights: Twelve Inc., Quanticel Pharmaceuticals, Second SIght Medical Products
Versant is a leading investor in the biotechnology, medical devices and health care space, helping exceptional entrepreneurs with great ideas make a difference in the global healthcare marketplace. The firm invests in projects across the healthcare sector and at various stages of company development, but focuses on firms developing novel therapeutics. Versant’s website boasts that since its inception in 1999, it has helped more than 65 companies achieve successful acquisitions or IPOs.
ORBIMED HEALTHCARE FUND MANAGEMENT
Number of Deals since January 1st, 2013: 37
Founded: 1989
Website: www.orbimed.com
Portfolio Highlights: MID Labs, Glaukos, Proteus Digital Health
Founded in 1989 and based on the 54th floor of 601 Lexington Avenue in New York City, OrbiMed has funded and launched numerous companies in the healthcare sector. Its portfolio companies include innovators in biopharmaceuticals, medical devices, medical imaging and diagnostics, healthcare services, and healthcare IT. Portfolio companies of OrbiMed are working to extend the human life span by developing technologies of the future such as immuno-therapies, gene therapy and gene editing.
OrbiMed is one of the most active life sciences investors in both Europe and North America, completing 37 investment deals with medical device companies in the past 5 years.
HIGH-TECH GRUENDERFONDS
Number of Deals since January 1st, 2013: 31
Founded: 2005
Website: www.en.high-tech-gruenderfonds.de
Portfolio Highlights: AYOXXA Biosystems, Trademob, Mister Spex
High-Tech Gruenderfonds, also known as HTGF, is a unique venture capital firm that operates as a public-private partnership, with investment from the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology in Germany, the KfW Banking Group and 39 Germany industrial groups, among other investors. The firm primarily invests in high-tech projects across all sectors, typically contributing up to 1 million euros in the seed stage with the potential of additional investment in later rounds.
HTGF has an impressive portfolio of approximately 490 companies, employees 50 people, and manages assets that total nearly a billion euros. The firm is based in Bonn, Germany.
JOHNSON & JOHNSON INNOVATION
Number of Deals since January 1st, 2013: 30
Founded: 1973
Website: https://www.jnjinnovation.com/
Portfolio Highlights: GRAIL, BlackThorn Therapeutics, Provention Bio
Johnson & Johnson Innovation is a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson that focuses on the development and advancement of new healthcare solutions, including pharmaceuticals, consumer products, and medical and diagnostic devices. The firm leverages its extensive infrastructure and resources to provide entrepreneurs with equity investments, licensing, collaborations, office space, and modular lab space.
The firm establishes regional incubators where entrepreneurs receive funding and resources along with training in business and product development. Johnson & Johnson Innovation maintains offices in Boston, California, London and Shanghai.
