What Q'Apel Medical does

Q'Apel Medical, Inc. is a privately held U.S. medical device company founded in 2016 and headquartered in Fremont, California, that designs and manufactures access devices for neurovascular interventions, with a primary focus on the ischemic stroke and cerebral aneurysm treatment markets. The company sells a portfolio of three flagship products—Zebra (a neurovascular access catheter built on QLCT laser-cut tube technology), Walrus (a balloon guide catheter), and Armadillo (a SelectFlex-enabled access system that lets operators switch on demand between soft tracking and locked support modes by injecting or withdrawing 0.2cc of saline)—with a fourth product, Lynx, listed in the company's trademark portfolio. All products are powered by two proprietary core technologies, QLCT and SelectFlex, which are covered by issued U.S. patents and engineered specifically to address the navigation and stability challenges of tortuous neurovascular anatomy rather than retrofitted from other indications.

The company's clinical evidence base includes published outcomes such as Walrus BGC achieving 99.1–99.7% successful navigation to target, 64.8–65.9% first-pass recanalization, and 92.2–94.4% final recanalization rates, which it presents through medical conferences and physician-facing case content. Q'Apel generates revenue through direct hospital sales of its hardware devices, operating an enterprise field-sales motion led by a VP of Sales and targeting the relatively concentrated universe of U.S. neurointerventional centers and the operating physicians within them; pricing is not publicly disclosed and is negotiated through hospital procurement processes.

The company is venture-backed, having closed approximately $69 million across three disclosed funding rounds in February 2021, May 2022, and May 2024, with institutional investors including Research Corporation Technologies, RC Capital, and Soleus Capital. The leadership team comprises a full C-suite (CEO Stewart Strong, CTO Jeff Krolik, COO Ken Peartree, CFO John Dahldorf) plus dedicated VPs for Sales, Global Marketing, Manufacturing, Regulatory and Quality, Human Resources, and International/Global Commercialization, with R. King Nelson serving as Executive Chairperson and R. Scott Huennekens on the board. The company is currently U.S.-only in operating geography but is actively building organizational infrastructure for international expansion.

Name

Q'Apel Medical

Legal name

Q'Apel Medical, Inc.

Website

https://qapelmedical.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Q'Apel Medical, Inc. designs and sells proprietary neurovascular access devices—Zebra, Walrus, and Armadillo—for hospitals and interventional neuroradiologists performing ischemic stroke and cerebral aneurysm procedures, using field sales across the U.S. market.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Neurovascular Medical Devices

NAICS

Surgical and Medical Instrument Manufacturing (339112)

SIC

Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841)

akta.pro primary industry

Thrombectomy, Embolic Protection & Stroke Intervention Devices (HLAHAFAJ)

Keywords

• Neurovascular access devices
• Balloon guide catheters
• Neurovascular intervention
• Stroke treatment devices
• Medical device manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Fremont

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Medical Device Sales: Q'Apel Medical generates revenue through the sale of neurovascular medical devices including access catheters, balloon guide catheters, and related systems to hospitals and healthcare providers performing neurovascular interventions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Q'Apel Medical designs and manufactures proprietary neurovascular access devices used by interventional physicians during stroke and cerebral aneurysm procedures. The product portfolio consists of three flagship devices—the Zebra neurovascular access catheter, the Walrus balloon guide catheter, and the Armadillo SelectFlex access system—built on two proprietary core technologies: QLCT (Q'Apel Laser-Cut Tube) and SelectFlex. Devices are sold to hospitals and neurointerventional centers for precision navigation through complex neurovasculature.

Product overview

Q'Apel Medical offers a portfolio of three neurovascular access devices powered by proprietary core technologies. The product line includes: Zebra (neurovascular access catheter utilizing QLCT technology for precision navigation), Walrus (balloon guide catheter for versatile access and vessel occlusion), and Armadillo (neurovascular access system with SelectFlex technology enabling on-demand switching between flexible tracking and stable support modes). These products share a common foundation of proprietary technologies (QLCT and SelectFlex) engineered to address the challenges of neurovascular access in stroke care procedures.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Zebra: Neurovascular Access Catheter featuring Q'Apel Laser Cut Tube (QLCT) technology for high-performance, procedural flexibility, and maximized control in neurovascular interventions.
• Walrus
• Armadillo
• QLCT
• SelectFlex

Products and services

• Zebra

Quantifiable outcome

• Walrus BGC achieved 99.1-99.7% successful navigation to target location, 64.8-65.9% first pass effect (2B/3), 92.2-94.4% final recanalization (2B/3), and 3.8-3.9% sICH
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Penumbra: Penumbra is the dominant player in mechanical thrombectomy aspiration catheters and BGCs. Its Penumbra System and RED products directly compete with Q'Apel's Zebra and Walrus in the same neurovascular access category with the same target customers.

Broad incumbents

• Stryker Neurovascular: Stryker's Neurovascular division (built via the Concentric Medical and Rapid Medical acquisitions) sells BGCs, stent retrievers, and access catheters. It is a broad incumbent competing against Q'Apel across the same neurovascular procedure workflow.
• Medtronic Neurovascular: Medtronic's Neurovascular business (acquired from Covidien) offers the Solitaire stent retriever and a portfolio of access catheters. As a large diversified medtech incumbent, it competes with Q'Apel in the same hospital accounts with broader solution bundles.
• Cerenovus (Johnson & Johnson MedTech): Cerenovus is J&J's neurovascular franchise, offering embolic coils, BGCs (EmboTrap), and access devices. It is a broad incumbent operating in the same stroke and aneurysm procedure market Q'Apel addresses.

Emerging players

• Route 92 Medical: Route 92 Medical is an emerging neurovascular company developing super-bore aspiration catheters and access systems for mechanical thrombectomy. It is a focused emerging competitor to Q'Apel's BGC and access catheter portfolio.
• Imperative Care: Imperative Care develops a portfolio of stroke intervention technologies including access catheters and aspiration systems. It is an emerging competitor in the same neurovascular access category with overlapping products and customers.
• Rapid Medical: Rapid Medical develops neurovascular devices including adjustable stent retrievers and access catheters; now part of Stryker. It was an emerging player with overlapping neurovascular access technologies competitive with Q'Apel.
• Viz.ai: Viz.ai provides AI-driven stroke detection and care coordination software used in the same neurovascular workflow as Q'Apel's devices. While not a direct catheter competitor, it shapes physician decision-making and hospital stroke pathways that influence catheter purchasing.
• InNeuroCo: InNeuroCo is an emerging neurovascular device company developing access and support catheters for stroke intervention. It is a focused emerging player in the same product category with similar target customers as Q'Apel.

Regional players

• MicroPort NeuroTech: MicroPort NeuroTech (formerly APN Health) markets neurovascular devices primarily in Asia and selected international markets. It competes in similar product categories with comparable offerings, primarily outside Q'Apel's current U.S.-focused geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/q_apel
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/q-apel-medical

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Q'Apel Medical