Capstan Medical
Capstan Medical develops the Capstan Compass System, a robotic-enabled catheter-based platform with AI-enhanced imaging for minimally invasive mitral and tricuspid heart valve replacement. The pre-revenue company is running first-in-human clinical trials across four countries, targeting FDA submission for a 2028 US launch.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersSanta Cruz, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Capstan Medical does
Capstan Medical is a privately held medical device company founded in 2020 in Santa Cruz, California, developing the Capstan Compass System — a robotic-enabled platform that combines surgical robotics, AI-enhanced imaging, and catheter-based technology to replace mitral and tricuspid heart valves while the heart is still beating. The company addresses an unmet clinical need in structural heart disease: despite a large patient population, no FDA-approved transcatheter mitral or tricuspid valve replacement options currently exist, and over 80% of patients are excluded from existing investigational mitral valve replacement options due to anatomical constraints. The platform pairs a compact, anatomy-friendly valve implant with a robotic delivery system intended to enable precise placement through a catheter, positioning Capstan as a less invasive alternative to open-heart surgery with shorter recovery times.
The company was founded by Dan Wallace, a former NASA flight controller serving as CTO, and CEO Maggie Nixon, who have worked together since 2000. Capstan operates from Santa Cruz (headquarters in the Wrigley Building) with engineering offices in Portola Valley and West Menlo Park, California. The company is pre-revenue and exclusively in clinical investigation mode; first-in-human robotic catheter mitral valve replacements were completed in March 2025 across sites in Chile, New Zealand, and Brazil, with US FDA submission targeted to support a 2028 commercial launch. The next-generation robotic system is planned for 2026 and is designed to be less than half the size of the first generation with 40% fewer components.
Capstan has raised $110 million across a $31.4M Series B (August 2023, led by Eclipse with Intuitive Ventures and Puma Venture Capital) and a $110M Series C (December 2024, led by Eclipse with Intuitive Ventures). The cap table includes strategic backing from Intuitive Ventures, the investment arm of Intuitive Surgical (valued at $200B), and personal investment from Dr. Fred Moll, cofounder of Intuitive Surgical, who has deployed approximately $100M of personal capital across roughly 15 next-generation surgical robotics startups. The intended go-to-market is enterprise hospital sales of capital equipment (robotic delivery platform) plus per-procedure revenue from implants and consumables, targeting cardiac centers and underserved populations including those with rheumatic heart disease in developing markets.
Capstan Medical firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Capstan Medical
- Legal name
- Capstan Medical
- Website
- https://capstanmedical.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Capstan Medical develops the Capstan Compass System, a robotic-enabled catheter-based platform with AI-enhanced imaging for minimally invasive mitral and tricuspid heart valve replacement. The pre-revenue company is running first-in-human clinical trials across four countries, targeting FDA submission for a 2028 US launch.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Capstan Medical industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Structural Heart Medical Devices
- NAICS
- Surgical Appliance and Supplies Manufacturing (339113), Electromedical and Electrotherapeutic Apparatus Manufacturing (334510)
- SIC
- Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841), Orthopedic, Prosthetic & Surgical Appliances & Supplies (3842)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Structural Heart Valves (TAVR/SAVR) & Valve Repair (HLAHAFAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Surgical Navigation, Tracking & Intraoperative Guidance (Ortho/Neuro/ENT) (HLAHADAG), Surgical Navigation, Robotics & Patient-Matched Instrumentation (Ortho/Spine) (HLAHAEAL)
Keywords
Where Capstan Medical is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Santa Cruz
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Capstan Medical business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Heart Valve Implants: Sale of next-generation mitral and tricuspid valve replacement implants for catheter-based procedures. The company is developing comprehensive valve solutions as part of its structural heart platform.
- Robotic Delivery Platform: Sale of surgical robotic systems and capital equipment for catheter-based structural heart procedures. The next-gen system features significantly smaller footprint with 40% fewer components.
- Procedural Accessories and Consumables: Associated delivery systems and accessories for valve implantation procedures performed using the Capstan Compass System.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Capstan Medical product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Capstan Medical develops the Capstan Compass System, a robotic-enabled platform that combines surgical robotics, AI-enhanced imaging, and catheter-based technology to treat mitral and tricuspid valve disease through a catheter while the heart is still beating. The platform is paired with a compact mitral valve replacement implant designed to address anatomical constraints that currently exclude over 80% of patients from existing investigational mitral valve replacement options. Products are currently exclusively for clinical investigation use and not for sale in any country.
Product overview
Capstan Medical offers the Capstan Compass System, a unified platform that combines surgical robotics with AI-enhanced imaging and catheter-based technology for the treatment of mitral and tricuspid valve disease. The platform enables minimally invasive heart valve replacement while the heart is still beating, providing a less invasive alternative to traditional open-heart surgery with improved patient outcomes and shorter recovery times.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Capstan Compass System: A platform designed to treat mitral and tricuspid valve disease through a catheter while the heart is still beating, combining surgical robotics, AI enhanced imaging with a catheter-based approach
Products and services
- Capstan Compass System A robotic-enabled platform that combines surgical robotics, AI-enhanced imaging, and catheter-based technology to treat mitral and tricuspid valve disease through a catheter while the heart is still beating, offering a less invasive alternative to open-heart surgery. It is paired with a compact mitral valve replacement implant designed for patients anatomically excluded from existing investigational mitral valve replacement options.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 80% of patients are currently excluded from existing mitral valve replacement options due to anatomical constraints that the Capstan platform addresses
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Capstan Medical
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Capstan Medical technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability2 records
Feature4 records
Capstan Medical partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Capstan Medical competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Moon Surgical: Emerging surgical robotics company backed by Dr. Fred Moll and other surgical-robotics investors. Comparable to Capstan through overlapping investor base and parallel effort to bring next-gen surgical robotics into operating rooms.
- Vicarious Surgical: Public surgical-robotics company developing a minimally invasive robotic platform. Comparable to Capstan as a next-generation surgical robotics peer, though focused on abdominal procedures rather than structural heart.
- JenaValve Technology: Pre-commercial/early-commercial transcatheter valve developer focused on aortic regurgitation and structural-heart indications. Comparable to Capstan as a similarly sized, clinical-stage transcatheter valve company pursuing FDA pathways.
- 4C Medical Technologies: Clinical-stage developer of transcatheter mitral valve technologies (AltaValve). Comparable to Capstan in the mitral-specific transcatheter replacement space and at a similar pre-commercial stage.
- InnovHeart: Developer of transcatheter mitral valve replacement devices (Saturn). Closely comparable to Capstan as a small, clinical-stage company focused on the same TMVR opportunity.
Direct peers
- Edwards Lifesciences: The dominant structural-heart medtech with the Sapien TAVR platform and Pascal transcatheter mitral repair system. Most directly comparable to Capstan as a transcatheter valve competitor targeting the same mitral/tricuspid patient pool, with vastly greater clinical, regulatory, and commercial resources.
- Abbott: Major structural-heart player with MitraClip and the Tendyne transcatheter mitral replacement program. Competes head-to-head with Capstan in transcatheter mitral and tricuspid therapies and brings established hospital sales channels and trial infrastructure.
- Medtronic: Global medtech with structural-heart programs including transcatheter mitral and tricuspid devices (e.g., Intrepid). Comparable to Capstan as a competing structural-heart therapy developer with deep hospital relationships and global clinical-trial capability.
Broad incumbents
- Boston Scientific: Diversified medtech with structural-heart and transcatheter valve programs (e.g., ACURATE neo, mitral/tricuspid efforts). Overlaps with Capstan in transcatheter valve therapy but competes through a much broader cardiology portfolio.
- Intuitive Surgical: Global leader in surgical robotics (Da Vinci). Not a direct competitor in structural heart but a key strategic reference point and investor (via Intuitive Ventures) for Capstan's robotic architecture and commercial playbook.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Capstan Medical social profiles
Digital presenceCapstan Medical financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Capstan Medical leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
Capstan Medical funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors5 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Capstan Medical M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Capstan Medical
What does Capstan Medical do?
Capstan Medical develops the Capstan Compass System, a robotic-enabled platform that combines surgical robotics, AI-enhanced imaging, and catheter-based technology to treat mitral and tricuspid valve disease through a catheter while the heart is still beating. The platform is paired with a compact mitral valve replacement implant designed to address anatomical constraints that currently exclude over 80% of patients from existing investigational mitral valve replacement options. Products are currently exclusively for clinical investigation use and not for sale in any country.
Is Capstan Medical a public or private company?
Capstan Medical is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Capstan Medical founded?
Capstan Medical was founded in 2020. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Capstan Medical based?
Capstan Medical is headquartered in Santa Cruz, United States, in the North America region.
How does Capstan Medical make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Heart Valve Implants are the primary driver. The others are robotic Delivery Platform and procedural Accessories and Consumables.
Who are Capstan Medical's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Moon Surgical, Vicarious Surgical, JenaValve Technology, 4C Medical Technologies and InnovHeart. Direct peers are Edwards Lifesciences, Abbott and Medtronic. Broad incumbents are Boston Scientific and Intuitive Surgical.
Does Capstan Medical have an API?
No public API is recorded for Capstan Medical.
What industry is Capstan Medical in?
Capstan Medical's product category is Structural Heart Medical Devices. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAHAFAB, Structural Heart Valves (TAVR/SAVR) & Valve Repair, with a secondary code of HLAHADAG, Surgical Navigation, Tracking & Intraoperative Guidance (Ortho/Neuro/ENT). Its NAICS code is 339113 and its SIC code is 3841.