Keranova raises $26.5 million for ophthalmic surgical robot

September 10, 2019 By Nancy Crotti Leave a Comment

Ophthalmic surgery device maker Keranova said today that it has raised $26.5 million (€24 million) in a second round of financing,.

Long-standing shareholders Mérieux Equity Partners and Supernova Invest led the round, joined by Financière Arbevel, Tourrette Investissement and other international investors.

Saint-Etienne, France-based Keranova said it will use the money to fund the development of its technologies and to obtain the regulatory authorizations needed to market its robot-assisted laser designed for cataract surgery. The company said it may also pursue other applications for the device, such as myopia and astigmatism.

Keranova claims its device is the first robot-assisted laser in the world able to perform photoemulsification of cataractous lenses. The technique was designed to replace traditional phacoemulsification using manual equipment, and cannot be used with other laser devices that are fitted with older technology, the company said.

Keranova was founded in 2016 and raised $4.4 million (€4 million) during a first round of financing, to which Bpifrance added $1.1 million (€1 million).

“We are extremely proud to have succeeded in producing such a revolutionary machine in such a short amount of time and are very pleased to have attracted new financial partners,” said Keranova founder Fabrice Romano in a news release. “We are very grateful to them and are eager to promote this innovative surgical equipment as the new gold standard in anterior eye segment surgery.”

“Less than four years after our first round of financing, Keranova’s development team has produced a new cataract surgery device, while adhering to the initial scope of its work,” added Valérie Calenda, partner at Mérieux Equity Partners and a member of Keranova’s board of directors. “The first-in-human surgical procedures have been very encouraging. As a benchmark shareholder, we support Keranova in marketing a revolutionary device with the ability to transform the way in which cataract surgery is performed on millions of people worldwide.”

Keranova said it is organizing a symposium where it will unveil its surgical robot to an audience of specialists during the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons convention, September 14–18 in Paris.

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