Participated · Series A · Oct 2018

Protembis develops the ProtEmbo Cerebral Protection System, an intra-aortic filter delivered via the left radial artery to deflect embolic material away from cerebral arteries during transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and other left-sided heart procedures. The company is advancing ProtEmbo through clinical investigations, including a pivotal FDA‑approved Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) study intended to enroll 250–500 patients in Europe and the US. Protembis is using recent financing to support clinical trials, research and development, and market access for the next‑generation device. Financially, the company completed a €30 million Series B in March 2024 and has secured an additional €20 million venture‑debt facility from the European Investment Bank. The EIB financing is supported by the InvestEU programme and is intended to accelerate product development and regulatory pathways. Protembis is a privately held emerging medtech based in Aachen, Germany. Protembis has developed the ProtEmbo® Cerebral Protection System, an intra-aortic filter device designed to protect the entire brain from embolic material liberated during transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). The low-profile, non-thrombogenic system shields all cerebral vessels and is delivered via the left radial artery to avoid interference with femoral-delivered TAVR equipment. The ProtEmbo System is currently undergoing clinical investigations, including the PROTEMBO IDE Pivotal Trial (NCT05873816). Protembis says its technology aims to reduce brain injury during left-sided heart procedures, improve patient quality of life, and lower healthcare costs associated with such injuries. The company is privately held and headquartered in Aachen, Germany. Recent financing activity is intended to support the ongoing pivotal trial and pre-commercial programs. Protembis has developed the ProtEmbo, a catheter-based filter advanced via the radial artery to cover arteries leading to the brain while allowing blood cells to pass and blocking embolic particles; the filter is heparin-coated to reduce clotting. The device is designed to minimize particle migration to the brain during transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI/TAVR) and other interventional heart procedures. Protembis reported initial safety and feasibility and demonstrated effectiveness in a first-in-human clinical study. The company plans further clinical studies at leading heart centers in Europe and the U.S. and aims to bring the ProtEmbo to market maturity. Protembis emphasizes a large and growing market opportunity driven by demographic trends and increased use of minimally invasive heart valve interventions. The company has closed institutional backing via a recent Series A to fund development toward commercialization.

Participated · Series B · Jun 2018

Silexica develops SLX tools to map and optimise a wide range of applications across multicore processors used in self-driving cars. Its platform provides real-time diagnostics to help disparate vendor services communicate and respond together. The company counts customers such as Denso, Toyota, Fujitsu and Huawei. It is expanding its optimisation features and adding a cloud component to supplement its current on-prem solution. Silexica is also building a simulator so multiple partners can test services together on one platform. The company is a spinout from the University of Aachen and is based in Cologne, Germany; co-founders include CEO Maximilian Odendahl, Johannes Emigholz and Weihua Sheng. Silexica develops software design automation tools to help embedded software developers, system architects and semiconductor providers design and build complex multicore systems. Its tools target products in embedded vision, automotive, edge computing and wireless baseband processing. The company licenses its technology to electronics companies worldwide and supports customers from local offices in Germany, the U.S., Japan and China. Silexica is led by CEO Maximilian Odendahl, CTO Weihua Sheng and COO Johannes Emigholz. The company closed a Series A financing to support growth. It plans to use the funds to expand engineering capacity, adapt the technology to additional market segments and strengthen its international presence.

Participated · Series A · Jul 2017

Hemovent develops MOBYBOX, a self-contained, fully integrated ExtraCorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO/ECLS) system designed to support or replace heart and lung function. MOBYBOX is CE‑marked and approved for sale in Europe, but is not approved for distribution outside the European Union. The company positions MOBYBOX around ease of use, mobility and high performance as advantages versus standard of care. Hemovent describes itself as having a proprietary platform technology for heart- and lung-support and is pursuing a phased market introduction. The company plans post-market clinical follow-up (PMCF) studies in select clinical settings across Europe as part of its rollout. Recent financing activity is intended to accelerate the market introduction and clinical follow-up of MOBYBOX. Hemovent is an emerging medical device company based in Aachen, Germany, with a proprietary platform for heart and lung support. Its core product, the MOBYBOX™ System, is a self-contained, fully integrated ECMO/ECLS device designed for safety, ease of use, mobility, and performance to support or replace heart and lung function. Hemovent closed a $5.2 million Series B financing round to fund roll-out and regulatory activities. Management expects EU regulatory approval this year and says the funding provides sufficient resources to commence roll-out upon CE approval and to seek FDA clearance in due course. The company has been certified under ISO 13485:2016, which it describes as the next-to-last step in the CE marking process, and completed a GLP standardized in vivo 7-day study for long-term use. The MOBYBOX™ System is not yet approved for human use. Hemovent develops an Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) system that the company describes as the world's smallest, fully portable device to support or replace heart or lung function. Because the devices are about one-tenth the size of similar technologies, they enable easier transport of patients from emergency sites or between hospitals. Hemovent says its systems also cost roughly half the price of comparable devices. The company reports positive in‑vivo experiments carried out since April. Management has stated it wants to bring the solution to market quickly and is seeking CE certification prior to commercial launch. Financially, Hemovent completed a €2 million expansion of a Series A that was €6 million in February 2016. Hemovent is a venture-backed medical device company developing novel, portable artificial lung technologies for applications ranging from Extracorporeal CO2 Removal to ExtraCorporeal Life Support. The company has developed small, self-contained fully portable artificial lungs intended for ECMO/ECLS to support or replace heart and lung function during cardiac and/or respiratory failure. Hemovent plans to use the grant funding to accelerate development of these portable artificial lung systems. The company is led by co-founder and CEO Christof Lenz and co-founder and CTO Oliver Marseille, Ph.D. Hemovent is based in Aachen, Germany and is backed by a group of investors. Its current financial news includes receipt of a government grant totaling $810k to support R&D efforts. Hemovent is an emerging medical device company based in Aachen, Germany, developing the world’s smallest, self-contained and fully portable Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) system. The device is designed to reduce the footprint of ECMO therapy by about 90%, weighs roughly two pounds, and the company says it requires neither battery nor software. Hemovent describes the system as extremely robust and operating like a natural heart, intended to simplify patient transport and mobilization during treatment. Management and investors position the portable form factor as a way to broaden ECMO use by addressing current technology’s complexity, cost and lack of portability. The article states ECMO markets are growing rapidly and Hemovent aims to make ECMO deployment easier and more cost-effective. Hemovent closed a $6 million Series A to advance its product development and commercialization efforts.