Recornea

What Recornea does

Recornea Srl is a clinical-stage Italian medtech company founded in Singapore in 2019 and headquartered in Trieste, Italy, since 2020. The company develops minimally invasive ophthalmic medical devices based on nitinol, a super-elastic shape-memory alloy, with a portfolio addressing keratoconus and glaucoma — two leading causes of vision loss. Its flagship product, the GROSSO® Reshaper, is described as the world's first nitinol intracorneal implant, designed to mechanically restore and maintain the natural anatomical curvature of the cornea in stage 2–4 keratoconus patients; a second product, GLAUCOMESH, is a filtering device intended as a cost-effective alternative to traditional trabeculectomy for glaucoma. A proprietary NiTi4EYE Injector (patent filed July 2025) is in development to standardize implantation.

Recornea's business model is premised on eventual hardware sales of class III implantable medical devices to hospitals, ophthalmology clinics, and surgeons, following CE marking and FDA clearance. Go-to-market is built around generating clinical evidence at leading ophthalmology centers (IMO Grupo Miranza in Barcelona, Fondazione Policlinico Gemelli in Rome, with planned India sites at Narayana Nethralaya and AIIMS New Delhi), supported by an ISO 13485:2016 certified quality management system and a $2.1M US Government/MTEC grant funding the regulatory pathway through 2029. Recornea raised approximately €4.4M in non-dilutive funding and €1.4M in dilutive funding (pre-seed 2021; €150K from Scientifica Venture Capital in July 2024; oversubscribed €1.2M+ seed round in March 2025 led by ENEA Tech e Biomedical).

As of early 2026, the company remains pre-revenue, with First-In-Human (FIH) clinical trial enrollment underway: four patients had been treated at IMO Barcelona as of December 2025 with additional patients added through October 2025, and a second Italian site at Fondazione Policlinico Gemelli was approved in January 2026. The company operates with 1–10 employees, supplemented by external consultants in design engineering, manufacturing, and regulatory affairs.

Name

Recornea

Legal name

Recornea Srl

Website

https://recornea.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Recornea Srl is an Italy-based, clinical-stage medtech company developing nitinol-based minimally invasive ophthalmic implants, led by the GROSSO® Reshaper for keratoconus and GLAUCOMESH for glaucoma, targeting hospitals and ophthalmology specialists pending CE and FDA approvals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ophthalmic Medical Devices

NAICS

Surgical Appliance and Supplies Manufacturing (339113)

SIC

Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841)

akta.pro primary industry

Cornea & External Disease Surgical Devices (Keratoplasty Tools, Cross-Linking Systems, Amniotic Membrane Delivery) (HLAHAJAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Glaucoma Diagnostics & Surgical Devices (Tonometry, Gonioscopy, MIGS, Drainage Implants, Laser Trabeculoplasty) (HLAHAJAI)

Keywords

• Ophthalmic medical devices
• Intracorneal implants
• Keratoconus treatment
• Glaucoma filtration devices
• Nitinol shape-memory devices

Headquarters

HQ city

Udine

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Medical Device Sales: Revenue will be generated from the sale of proprietary ophthalmic medical devices including the GROSSO® Reshaper for keratoconus and GLAUCOMESH for glaucoma. These are implantable medical devices that will be sold to healthcare providers and hospitals.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Recornea develops proprietary nitinol-based minimally invasive ophthalmic medical devices for treating eye diseases. Its flagship product, the GROSSO Reshaper, is the world's first nitinol intracorneal implant designed to mechanically restore natural corneal curvature in keratoconus patients. The company is also developing GLAUCOMESH, a filtering device for glaucoma treatment, along with the NiTi4EYE Injector for standardized device delivery.

Product overview

Recornea is a clinical-stage medtech ophthalmic company developing therapeutic solutions for treating diseases of the eye. The core portfolio includes the GROSSO® Reshaper, the world's first nitinol intracorneal implant for keratoconus treatment, and GLAUCOMESH, a filtering device for glaucoma. The technology couples minimally invasive surgery with biocompatible and bio-enhanced devices. The company is also developing the NiTi4EYE Injector as an accessory for standardized delivery of the GROSSO Reshaper.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GROSSO Reshaper: The world's first nitinol intracorneal implant designed to treat keratoconus, a condition causing progressive thinning and bulging of the cornea.
• GLAUCOMESH

Products and services

• GROSSO Reshaper The world's first nitinol intracorneal implant designed to treat keratoconus, a condition causing progressive thinning and bulging of the cornea. The implant is inserted into a circular corneal pocket and mechanically restores and maintains the natural anatomic curvature of the cornea, eliminating bulging and predictably improving vision in stage 2, 3, and 4 keratoconus patients. Targeted at ophthalmology centers and corneal surgeons.
• GLAUCOMESH A new nitinol-based filtering device for the treatment of glaucoma, intended to create an effective, affordable, and accessible alternative to traditional trabeculectomy. Expected to provide increased clinical effectiveness with proven efficacy, cost-effectiveness, and ease of implementation across different stages of glaucoma. Targeted at ophthalmology centers and glaucoma surgeons.
• NiTi4EYE Injector A patent-pending injector device for standardized minimally invasive surgery with the GROSSO Reshaper, designed to be easy for any surgeon and standardized for any patient. Improves safety and usability, reducing risk of procedural errors and device damages during implantation. Targeted at corneal surgeons performing the GROSSO Reshaper implantation procedure.

Quantifiable outcome

• K1 reduction of 7D, K2 and Kave reduction of 5-6D in preclinical rabbit study
• +2 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• IMO Foundation (Institute of Ocular Microsurgery)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIMO Foundation coordinated the HUMANeye European clinical research project. IMO Grupo Miranza is the site for First-In-Human clinical trial with Prof. Jose Luis Güell as Principal Investigator.
• University Hospital of ToulouseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in HUMANeye project for developing clinical trials to validate effectiveness of GROSSO® Reshaper.
• Cluster for Life SciencesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Cluster for Life Sciences for Linea A and Linea C grants supporting glaucoma device development and NiTi4EYE injector.
• Indian Clinical Trial PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal Indian companies within Recornea's network providing CRO services for clinical trial management and regulatory support in India.
• Narayana NethralayaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading Indian ophthalmology center in Bangalore, one of two clinical sites for India clinical trials.
• All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) New DelhiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPremier medical institute in New Delhi, one of two clinical sites for India clinical trials.
• Linköping UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Prof. Neil Lagali's team for 6-month follow-up of rabbit study of GROSSO implant.
• Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCSminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerApproved clinical site in Italy for FIH trial with Dr. Romina Fasciani as PI and Prof. Luigi Mosca as Collaborating Investigator.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Bausch + Lomb: Bausch + Lomb is a major diversified ophthalmic device and pharmaceutical player with surgical, vision care, and ophthalmic pharmaceutical franchises spanning cornea, cataract, and glaucoma — a broad incumbent across all of Recornea's target segments.
• Alcon: Alcon is the largest pure-play ophthalmic medical device company globally with leading surgical, vision care, and pharmaceutical franchises. It competes across cataract/refractive surgery and glaucoma where Recornea's pipeline operates.
• Santen Pharmaceutical: Santen is a global ophthalmic specialty company with a large glaucoma franchise (pharmaceuticals and devices). Its glaucoma surgical ambitions make it a relevant comparable for Recornea's GLAUCOMESH program.

Emerging players

• STAAR Surgical: STAAR Surgical is a smaller ophthalmic surgical company best known for its implantable collamer lens (ICL) technology in refractive surgery. It is comparable as a focused, growth-stage ophthalmic surgical device company targeting vision-correction indications.
• NovaBay Pharmaceuticals: NovaBay is a smaller ophthalmic-focused company with eyecare products in the corneal and ocular surface space. It is comparable as a small-cap ophthalmic therapeutic company pursuing regulated device and pharmaceutical approvals.
• CorneaGen: CorneaGen is a leading corneal tissue provider and developer of keratoconus-related diagnostics and therapies. It is comparable as a corneal-focused company serving the same keratoconus treatment ecosystem Recornea targets.
• iVeena Delivery Systems: iVeena is an early-stage ophthalmic drug and device company developing corneal therapies (including scleral cross-linking approaches). It is a relevant emerging peer given its focus on novel corneal disease interventions.

Direct peers

• Glaukos Corporation: Glaukos pioneered MIGS devices for glaucoma and acquired Avedro (a leader in corneal cross-linking for keratoconus). Recornea's GLAUCOMESH directly competes with Glaukos's MIGS portfolio, and its keratoconus implant competes against the Avedro CXL franchise Glaukos now owns.
• Avedro (now part of Glaukos): Avedro developed corneal cross-linking (CXL), the leading minimally invasive treatment for progressive keratoconus — the same indication Recornea targets with the GROSSO Reshaper, although at later disease stages.

Regional players

• NovaMedica: NovaMedica is an emerging European/Russian ophthalmic company developing devices and pharmaceuticals for cataract, glaucoma, and retinal disease. It is comparable as a regional ophthalmic player pursuing multiple ocular indications.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/recornea

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Recornea