MD Start
MD Start is a Paris-based medtech company builder and seed fund, operating a 3-in-1 accelerator structure (fund + incubator + operator team) that sources inventions from European physician and researcher inventors and has created 13 medical device companies across cardiovascular, surgical, diagnostic, and interventional domains, with the Sofinnova MD Start III fund managed by Sofinnova Partners.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersParis, France
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What MD Start does
MD Start is a Paris-based medtech company builder structured as a 3-in-1 accelerator combining a seed fund, an incubator, and an in-house operating team. Founded in 2010 (per company legal notice) with a Sofinnova Partners-affiliated management structure since 2019, the firm sources proprietary deal flow from European physician and researcher inventors, screens over 1,400 invention submissions, and has created and financed 13 medical device companies across cardiovascular (CorWave, LimFlow, preCARDIA, Tulyp Medical, Julier Medical), surgical (Moon Surgical, SafeHeal, Endoron Medical), diagnostic (BrightHeart, APD), and interventional (HEPTA Medical, Gradient Denervation Technologies, May Health) domains. The portfolio spans technologies including LVADs with oscillating-membrane architecture, venous arterialization for critical limb ischemia, AI-driven prenatal ultrasound guidance, sensor-embedded ablation catheters, catheter-based endograft stapling, and a computer-vision/haptics robotic surgery platform.
MD Start operates a capital-efficient model where the partners themselves serve as founding CEOs or board directors of portfolio companies, providing hands-on operational support from idea screening through proof-of-concept, clinical trials, regulatory certification, and exit. The firm's fund syndicate for MD Start III includes Sofinnova Partners as manager alongside strategic LPs Bpifrance, Medtronic, LivaNova, the European Investment Fund, and Baxter Healthcare Corporation, with Medtronic also providing deal-flow referrals through its Eureka program. Revenue mechanics are typical of a venture fund — management fees on committed capital plus carried interest on exits — with no consumer-facing pricing.
The company has produced one confirmed strategic exit to date: APD (Advanced Perfusion Diagnostics) was acquired by Vygon in 2019 after CE marking its microcirculation monitoring device. Portfolio company CoreValve, advised by MD Start co-founder Mano Iyer, was sold to Medtronic for $800M (an advisor-level outcome rather than a direct MD Start exit). MD Start has referenced an MD Start IV fund, indicating continuation of the fund-series model.
MD Start firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- MD Start
- Legal name
- MD Start
- Website
- https://mdstart.eu
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- MD Start is a Paris-based medtech company builder and seed fund, operating a 3-in-1 accelerator structure (fund + incubator + operator team) that sources inventions from European physician and researcher inventors and has created 13 medical device companies across cardiovascular, surgical, diagnostic, and interventional domains, with the Sofinnova MD Start III fund managed by Sofinnova Partners.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
MD Start industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Medtech Company Building Services
- NAICS
- Open-End Investment Funds (525910)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed) (FSANAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)
Keywords
Where MD Start is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Paris
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
MD Start business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Seed Fund / Accelerator Management: MD Start operates as a seed fund and incubator that creates, develops, and operates medtech projects from ideation through to investment stage and commercial development. Revenue is generated through fund management fees and carried interest from portfolio company exits.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
MD Start product offering
Product offeringCore offering
MD Start is a medtech company builder operating as a seed fund, incubator, and operator team within a single 3-in-1 accelerator structure. It sources inventions from physician and researcher inventors, evaluates them through a structured non-confidential process, and creates, develops, and operates portfolio companies in cardiovascular, surgical, diagnostic, and interventional medical device domains until they reach investment stage and commercial development. The latest fund, Sofinnova MD Start III, has built six new companies.
Product overview
MD Start is a medtech company builder that operates as a seed fund, incubator, and accelerator for medical technologies. Rather than offering a unified software product or platform, MD Start creates, develops, and operates medical device portfolio companies, turning ideas into new companies with strategic and hands-on approaches to bring them to investment stage and commercial development. The portfolio spans 13 medical device companies across diverse therapeutic areas including cardiac assist (CorWave), stroke treatment (Julier Medical), prenatal screening (BrightHeart), limb ischemia (Tulyp Medical, LimFlow), surgical robotics (Moon Surgical), lung cancer treatment (HEPTA Medical), heart failure (preCARDIA), PCOS treatment (May Health), colorectal surgery (SafeHeal), vascular repair (Endoron Medical), and pulmonary hypertension (Gradient Denervation Technologies).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- BrightHeart
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 1400 inventions evaluated since 2010
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use MD Start
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
MD Start technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability2 records
Feature13 records
MD Start partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- ISIR (Institut des Systèmes Intelligents et de Robotique) / Sorbonne UniversitycoreMoon Surgical was initiated based on technology and IP developed at ISIR (Institut des Systèmes Intelligents et de Robotique), part of Sorbonne University in Paris, together with Pr. Brice Gayet, a world-renowned digestive surgeon and pioneer in laparoscopy.
- Prof. Ron Karmeli / Hadassah Hospital JerusalemcoreEndoron Medical builds on an invention from Prof. Ron Karmeli of Hadassah Hospital Jerusalem, who is co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of the company. Prof. Karmeli's invention forms the basis of the company's endograft stapling solution.
- EOS ImagingminorGérard Hascoët, Venture Partner at MD Start, serves as Chairman of EOS Imaging (France), a medical imaging technology company.
- CorWaveminorGérard Hascoët, Venture Partner at MD Start, serves as Director of the Board of CorWave (France), an MD Start portfolio company developing implantable blood pumps.
- SafeHealminorGérard Hascoët, Venture Partner at MD Start, serves as Director of the Board of SafeHeal (France), an MD Start portfolio company.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
MD Start competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- JLABS (Johnson & Johnson Innovation): JLABS is Johnson & Johnson's no-strings-attached healthcare incubator network operating across multiple geographies including Europe. It is a broad incumbent comparable providing early-stage medtech infrastructure, though at much larger scale and as part of a major strategic's broader innovation portfolio.
Direct peers
- InCube Labs: InCube Labs is a Silicon Valley-based life sciences incubator founded by Mir Imran that creates, develops, and spins out medical device companies. It is a direct peer as a multi-vertical medtech venture studio with hands-on operating model similar to MD Start.
- Jeito Capital: Jeito Capital is a European life sciences investment firm focused on single-asset biotech and medtech opportunities. It is a direct peer as a specialized European healthcare investor with a similar thesis around backing differentiated science and technology from European innovators.
- ExploraMed: ExploraMed is a medical device incubator founded by Mir Imran that creates multiple medtech ventures from physician-sourced innovations. It is a direct peer in the company-building / venture studio model applied specifically to medical devices.
- Forbion: Forbion is a leading European life sciences venture capital firm investing across biotech and medtech. It is a direct peer in European early-stage life sciences investing and frequently co-invests with strategic partners similar to MD Start's syndicate.
- Sofinnova Partners: Sofinnova Partners is the parent platform that manages MD Start III and is a leading European life sciences venture capital firm. It is a direct peer in early-stage European medtech investing and is the most direct comparable given the operational integration with MD Start.
- MEDX Ventures: MEDX Ventures is a medical device-focused venture builder and incubator that creates and develops multiple startups in the medtech space. It is a direct peer operating a comparable multi-company medtech incubation model.
- Lightstone Ventures: Lightstone Ventures is a venture capital firm focused on early-stage medtech and digital health investments, with strong European and US presence. It is a direct peer in early-stage, hands-on medtech venture investing with comparable therapeutic focus areas.
- NLC Health: NLC Health is a European healthtech venture builder that creates and incubates multiple healthcare startups from a single platform, mirroring MD Start's company-building model. It is directly comparable as a venture studio operating in the European healthcare innovation ecosystem.
Others
- Bpifrance: Bpifrance is the French public investment bank and a returning LP in MD Start III. It is thematically related as a capital partner in the European medtech ecosystem and co-invests across the same portfolio companies, though its primary role is as a financial backer rather than a direct operator/competitor.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks1 record
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
MD Start social profiles
Digital presenceMD Start financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
MD Start leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
MD Start funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors4 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
MD Start M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments4 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about MD Start
What does MD Start do?
MD Start is a medtech company builder operating as a seed fund, incubator, and operator team within a single 3-in-1 accelerator structure. It sources inventions from physician and researcher inventors, evaluates them through a structured non-confidential process, and creates, develops, and operates portfolio companies in cardiovascular, surgical, diagnostic, and interventional medical device domains until they reach investment stage and commercial development. The latest fund, Sofinnova MD Start III, has built six new companies.
Is MD Start a public or private company?
MD Start is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was MD Start founded?
MD Start was founded in 2010. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is MD Start based?
MD Start is headquartered in Paris, France, in the Europe region.
How does MD Start make money?
One revenue line is on record: seed Fund / Accelerator Management.
Who are MD Start's main competitors?
JLABS (Johnson & Johnson Innovation) is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are InCube Labs, Jeito Capital, ExploraMed, Forbion, Sofinnova Partners, MEDX Ventures, Lightstone Ventures and NLC Health. Bpifrance is listed as an others.
Does MD Start have an API?
No public API is recorded for MD Start.
What industry is MD Start in?
MD Start's product category is Medtech Company Building Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAA, Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed), with a secondary code of FSANAAAM, Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated). Its NAICS code is 525910.