Dotter

What Dotter does

Dotter Inc. is a South Korea-based cardiovascular medical device company founded in 2016 that develops and manufactures diagnostic imaging systems and interventional implant devices for ischemic heart disease. The company's product portfolio addresses the full PCI (percutaneous coronary intervention) workflow: the Aurios S100 advanced OCT imaging console and the Benetis fiber-optic OCT catheter provide high-resolution lesion visualization; the Benetis-Lifetime system is the world's first commercialized combined OCT-FLIm (Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging) platform that simultaneously captures morphological and biochemical images of the vessel wall without external contrast agents; the Venavis NC/SC balloon catheter supports angioplasty procedures; the EluNIR drug-eluting stent is exclusively licensed from Israel's Medinol for Korean distribution; and the proprietary BRS (bioresorbable stent) features a patented V-shaped design with 100μm strut thickness, 30% thinner than competitors, and fully resorbs within approximately three years. AI-based software integrated into Aurios provides automated image analysis, stenosis quantification, 3D reconstruction, and predictive risk stratification via neural network learning. The company operates GMP-certified manufacturing facilities in Seoul and Incheon, an R&D laboratory in Ulsan, and its corporate headquarters in Incheon.

Dotter's business model centers on direct sales of medical hardware and recurring single-use catheters/consumables to Korean university hospitals and interventional cardiology centers. The flagship BRS is undergoing MFDS confirmatory clinical trials (128-patient enrollment completed in March 2024 at 10 Korean university hospitals including Samsung Seoul Hospital and Sinchon Severance Hospital), while OCT imaging systems and Benetis catheters are already MFDS-approved and commercially available. Distribution is geographically limited to a single market (South Korea), with named institutional customers including Samsung Seoul Hospital, Sinchon Severance Hospital, and Ulsan Hospital. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is presumed to follow hospital procurement negotiation processes. The company has raised approximately 190억 KRW (~$14M USD) cumulatively across seed (2020), Series A (2021), and Series B (March 2024) rounds, and was selected by Korea's 중기부 as one of 50 startups with unicorn potential by 2030.

Name

Dotter

Legal name

DOTTER Inc.

Website

https://dotter.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Dotter Inc. is a South Korean cardiovascular medical device company developing proprietary bioresorbable stents (BRS), high-resolution OCT imaging systems (Aurios), the world's first commercialized OCT-FLIm diagnostic platform (Benetis-Lifetime), and AI-powered image analysis software, serving interventional cardiology departments at Korean university hospitals and cardiac centers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cardiovascular Medical Devices

NAICS

Electromedical and Electrotherapeutic Apparatus Manufacturing (334510), Surgical and Medical Instrument Manufacturing (339112), Surgical Appliance and Supplies Manufacturing (339113)

SIC

Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841), Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827)

akta.pro primary industry

Coronary Stents & Drug-Eluting Technologies (HLAHAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hemodynamic Monitoring & Cardiac Diagnostics (Cath Lab, FFR/IVUS/OCT) (HLAHAFAI), Interventional Cardiology (PCI/Structural Heart) (HLAKABAB)

Keywords

• Cardiovascular medical devices
• OCT imaging systems
• Bioresorbable stents
• Drug-eluting stents
• Interventional cardiology

Headquarters

HQ city

Seoul

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Medical Device Sales: Sale of cardiovascular medical devices including OCT imaging systems (Aurios), OCT catheters (Benetis, Benetis Lifetime), balloon catheters (Venavis), bioresorbable stents (BRS), and drug-eluting stents (EluNIR) to hospitals and cardiology centers.
2. Consumables & Catheters: Recurring revenue from single-use OCT imaging catheters (Benetis, Benetis Lifetime) used during PCI procedures, which are paired with the Aurios imaging console.
3. Licensed Product Distribution: Dotter acquired exclusive domestic (Korea) rights to distribute Medinol's EluNIR Ridaforolimus Drug-Eluting Stent System, generating revenue through direct sales of the licensed product.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Dotter designs, manufactures, and sells a portfolio of cardiovascular medical devices for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), including the Aurios S100 OCT imaging system, Benetis and Benetis-Lifetime OCT/FLIm imaging catheters, Venavis NC/SC balloon catheters, the proprietary BRS bioresorbable stent (100μm V-shaped design), and the exclusively licensed EluNIR drug-eluting stent. The portfolio spans the full PCI continuum from high-resolution lesion diagnosis and AI-assisted treatment planning to scaffold implantation and post-procedure imaging follow-up.

Product overview

Dotter is a cardiovascular healthcare company offering a suite of integrated diagnostic and treatment products for ischemic heart disease. Its portfolio spans advanced OCT imaging systems (Aurios S100 for procedure guidance and Benetis-Lifetime for combined OCT-FLIm biochemical analysis), fiber-optic OCT catheters (Benetis), balloon catheters (Venavis NC and SC), a proprietary third-generation bioresorbable stent (BRS with 100μm strut thickness), and an exclusively licensed drug-eluting stent (EluNIR from Medinol). The products are designed to address the full continuum of cardiovascular care from high-resolution diagnosis through treatment and post-procedure monitoring, with AI-powered software integrated into the Aurios system for real-time image analysis, lesion assessment, and stent selection.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Aurios: Advanced OCT imaging system for cardiovascular intervention procedures
• Benetis
• Venavis
• EluNIR
• BRS

Products and services

• Aurios S100 OCT Imaging System Advanced optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging console for interventional cardiology departments performing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Provides high-resolution lesion observation, supports stent selection decisions, enables accurate monitoring of stent insertion, and integrates AI-based software for real-time morphological analysis, 3D stereoscopic conversion, and automatic stent apposition detection. It is the only imaging device capable of clinical tracking of Dotter's bioresorbable BRS scaffold.
• Benetis OCT Imaging Catheter Fiber-optic OCT imaging catheter optimized to obtain accurate OCT images during PCI procedures. Compatible with standard 0.014" guidewires and OCT imaging consoles, with radiopaque markers at the distal tip and proximal to the lens for aligning OCT pullback in the region of interest. Sold as a single-use consumable paired with the Aurios OCT system.
• Venavis Balloon Catheter (NC & SC) Double-lumen percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) balloon catheter with balloon at the distal end, available in NC (Non-Compliant) and SC (Semi-Compliant) variants. Features improved trackability, pushability, and crossability with platinum-iridium markers, and is compatible with 5F and 6F guide catheters. Used in pre-dilation and stent deployment during PCI.
• BRS Bioresorbable Stent Third-generation bioresorbable coronary scaffold with 100μm strut thickness (the thinnest among competitors, approximately 30% thinner than competing devices). Uses proprietary V-shaped stent design for high radial force and MPC (phosphorylcholine) polymer coating for biocompatibility and stable drug release. Fully resorbed by the body in approximately 3 years, enabling re-operation in the same vessel and reducing antiplatelet drug dependency to roughly one year compared with permanent metal drug-eluting stents.
• EluNIR Drug-Eluting Stent Ridaforolimus-eluting drug-eluting stent system featuring Medinol's proprietary WiZeCell variable-width W-Z strut design, with ultra-narrow 40μm Z-struts for flexibility and conformability and narrow W-struts for radial strength, plus elastomeric coating technology. Developed by Medinol (Israel) and exclusively distributed in Korea by Dotter under an agreement signed in November 2022, with Korean market launch in early 2023.
• Benetis-Lifetime OCT-FLIm Imaging System Combined OCT and FLIm (Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging) cardiovascular diagnostic system. Uses an optical fiber catheter inserted into blood vessels to simultaneously capture morphological and biochemical images of the inner vessel wall in real-time without external contrast medium. Achieves 200kHz resolution, more than double the 90kHz of competitors. World's first to commercialize this technology, enabling detection of high-risk atherosclerotic plaques that standard OCT or IVUS cannot identify.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100μm strut thickness vs competitors' thicker struts, enabling 30% reduction in stent thickness and improved blood flow
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Samsung Seoul HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2024Samsung Seoul Hospital participated as a key site in Dotter's BRS (bioresorbable stent) confirmatory clinical trial, one of 10 major university hospitals involved in the study of 128 patients.
• Sinchon Severance HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2024Sinchon Severance Hospital participated as a key clinical trial site in Dotter's BRS confirmatory clinical trial, one of 10 major university hospitals in the study.
• Medinol (Israel)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 November 2022Dotter acquired exclusive domestic rights in Korea to distribute Medinol's EluNIR Ridaforolimus Drug-Eluting Stent System. EluNIR features Medinol's proprietary WiZeCell (W-Z strut design) with 40μm ultra-narrow Z-struts and elastomeric coating technology. The product was launched in Korea by Dotter in early 2023 through a contract with the Israeli company Medinol.
• Ulsan HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Ulsan Hospital performed Korea's first improved absorbable stent implantation procedure using Dotter's BRS on a 50-year-old angina patient in January 2021, demonstrating early clinical adoption of the technology.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Abbott: Global cardiovascular medtech leader with the OPTIS/OCT imaging platform and DES portfolio (Xience). Most directly comparable as a competitor in intracoronary imaging and a benchmark for what Dotter must beat to scale beyond Korea; also the cautionary tale via the withdrawn Absorb BRS.
• Boston Scientific: Major interventional cardiology player with the AVVIGO OCT system, Promus DES, and recent investment in next-gen scaffolds. Directly comparable across OCT imaging and DES, and competes with Dotter for hospital cath lab budgets.
• Medtronic: Largest global player in coronary stents (Resolute Onyx DES) and an emerging force in intravascular imaging through acquisitions. Comparable across the same PCI ecosystem Dotter targets, with substantially more geographic reach.
• Terumo: Japanese cardiovascular medtech with the Lunawave OFDI imaging system and a broad DES portfolio. Most comparable as an Asian-headquartered incumbent with deep cath lab relationships that could directly compete in Korea and Japan.

Direct peers

• Biotronik: German cardiovascular device company and current leader in bioresorbable scaffolds with Magmaris. Direct BRS peer whose commercial trajectory benchmarks Dotter's opportunity and challenges in the post-Absorb BRS 2.0 market.
• Conavi Medical: Canadian intravascular imaging company with the Novasight Hybrid IVUS-OCT system. Directly comparable as a smaller-cap OCT innovator competing against incumbents in intracoronary imaging modalities.
• ACIST Medical Systems: Acquired by Bracco, ACIST provides intravascular imaging (HDi IVUS) and contrast delivery systems used in cath labs. Comparable as a focused cardiology imaging player, with similar go-to-market into interventional cardiology departments.

Regional players

• TAEWOONG Medical: Korean stent manufacturer (NOVT, biodegradable platforms) with established domestic cath lab relationships. Most directly comparable Korean peer in coronary stents, and a benchmark for Dotter's domestic commercialization trajectory.
• S&G Biotech: Korean specialist in bioresorbable and drug-eluting stents. Direct Korean BRS/DES competitor with overlapping trial and product development focus, making it the closest domestic competitor.

Emerging players

• Meril Life Sciences: Indian-headquartered cardiovascular medtech with the MeRes100 BRS and BIOlimus DES portfolio. Comparable as a non-incumbent BRS developer targeting emerging and Asian markets alongside Dotter.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors5 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 Dotter