CAScination

What CAScination does

CAScination AG is a Swiss medical technology company headquartered in Bern (Steigerhubelstrasse 3, CH-3008 Bern), founded in 2009 and operating as a privately held corporation. The company develops and commercializes image-guided surgical navigation systems and robotic platforms for minimally invasive procedures across two clinical domains: interventional oncology and otology. Its flagship oncology product, the CAS-One IR stereotactic navigation system, supports percutaneous tumor ablation procedures (microwave, cryoablation, irreversible electroporation, radiofrequency) for liver, kidney, lung, and other soft-tissue tumors, and was augmented in 2025 by the AI-driven AblaSure module for quantitative ablation margin assessment. In otology, the company markets HEARO — described as the world's first surgical robot for cochlear implantation — paired with OTOPLAN patient-specific 3D planning software and OTODRIVE.

The business model combines hardware sales (CAS-One IR navigation systems, HEARO robot, instruments, Quant training phantom) with recurring software revenue through version upgrades (e.g., CAS-One IR 4.3) and OTOPLAN licensing. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is hybrid: direct enterprise field sales to tertiary-care hospitals with on-site clinician training in core European markets, supplemented by regional distribution partners (PT Triputra Technomed for Indonesia; Mepy Système for France) and a strategic partnership with MED-EL for otology channel access. Customers include university hospitals such as Inselspital Bern, St. James's University Hospital Leeds, University Hospital Regensburg, Antwerp University Hospital, and Safdarjung Hospital Delhi, with broader geographic reach across Switzerland, UK, Germany, Belgium, Sweden, India, Taiwan, and Indonesia.

CAScination has approximately 25 employees, operates with only two small disclosed seed grants from Venture Kick in 2009–2010 (~$10K–$20K each), and won the Swiss Medtech Award in 2019. Its products have evolved from research collaborations with the University of Bern's ARTORG Center and Inselspital, and the company is pursuing CE-marking for HEARO while continuing to extend its international footprint and AI-enabled product roadmap.

Name

CAScination

Legal name

CASCINATION AG

Website

https://cascination.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CAScination AG is a Swiss medical technology company developing image-guided surgical navigation systems and surgical robots for interventional oncology (tumor ablation) and otology (cochlear implantation), serving tertiary-care and university hospitals across Europe and Asia through direct enterprise sales and regional distribution partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Surgical Navigation Systems and Medical Robotics

NAICS

Surgical and Medical Instrument Manufacturing (339112)

SIC

Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841)

akta.pro primary industry

Surgical Navigation, Tracking & Intraoperative Guidance (Ortho/Neuro/ENT) (HLAHADAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Surgical Oncology (HLAKAFAG), Head & Neck Surgery (ENT Oncology) (HLAKAMAF)

Keywords

• Image-guided surgery
• Surgical navigation systems
• Robotic cochlear implantation
• Tumor ablation devices
• Medical robotics systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Bern

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Medical Hardware Sales: Sale of medical device hardware including CAS-One IR navigation systems, HEARO surgical robot, and related instruments and accessories.
2. Software Licensing and Updates: Software licensing with updates (e.g., CAS-One IR version upgrades like 4.3), possibly including support and maintenance contracts.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CAScination AG develops, manufactures, and commercializes image-guided surgical navigation systems and surgical robots for minimally invasive procedures. Its oncology portfolio centers on the CAS-One IR stereotactic navigation platform for percutaneous tumor ablation (liver, kidney, lung) with the AI-driven AblaSure module for quantitative margin assessment. Its otology portfolio includes the HEARO robotic system for cochlear implantation and OTOPLAN patient-specific 3D inner-ear planning software.

Product overview

CAScination offers a dual-portfolio medical device platform spanning Oncology and Otology. In Oncology, the core CAS-One IR system provides stereotactic navigation for percutaneous tumor ablation, enhanced by the AI-driven AblaSure module for quantitative margin assessment, supported by the Quant training phantom. In Otology, the HEARO robotic cochlear implantation system works in conjunction with OTOPLAN surgical planning software, with additional products including OTODRIVE. All products aim to bring certainty to medical treatment outcomes through robotic and image-guided solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CAS-One IR: Navigation system for quality ablation procedures in tumor treatment
• HEARO
• OTOPLAN
• OTODRIVE
• AblaSure
• Quant

Products and services

• CAS-One IR Image-guided stereotactic navigation system for percutaneous tumor ablation procedures on liver, kidney, lung, and other organ tumors. Provides planning, navigation, and ablation confirmation via the Quality Ablation workflow for interventional radiologists and oncology surgeons.
• HEARO Surgical robot for robotic cochlear implantation that creates pinhole access from the skull surface to the inner ear (cochlea) with microscale precision. Designed for ENT surgeons and otologists performing cochlear implant procedures.
• OTOPLAN Otological planning software providing patient-specific 3D inner-ear reconstructions for pre-operative planning of manual and robotically-assisted ear surgery, including post-operative verification and reporting.
• AblaSure AI-driven quantitative margin assessment software for the CAS-One IR platform that provides instantaneous 3D assessment of effective ablation margins against the treatment plan, calculates percentage of coverage, and enables one-click re-ablation workflow.
• OTODRIVE Otological drive system in the otology portfolio, referenced in the navigation menu alongside HEARO and OTOPLAN for ear surgery applications.
• Quant Training phantom for the Quality Ablation workflow, used for training clinicians on CAS-One IR ablation procedures.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 44% of ablation margins are misjudged with visual inspection alone - AblaSure addresses this by providing objective quantitative assessment.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Mepy SystèmecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 9 December 2019Distribution agreement with French company Mepy Système for distribution of CAScination products in France.
• PT Triputra TechnomedcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 2 October 2019Distribution agreement with Indonesian distributor PT Triputra Technomed for CAScination products in Indonesia, expanding the company's Asian presence.
• MED-ELcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 June 2019Partnership with MED-EL, the European leader for hearing implant solutions, for the development and integration of OTOPLAN planning software with HEARO robotic cochlear implantation platform. OTOPLAN and HEARO are the result of over a decade of collaborative research with the University of Bern, Inselspital, and international institutions.
• University of Bern / InselspitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOver a decade of collaborative research with the University of Bern and Inselspital for the development of OTOPLAN and HEARO technologies. Prof. M. Caversaccio and Prof. V. Topsakal have successfully performed HEARO procedures on patients.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Medtronic (StealthStation): Medtronic's StealthStation surgical navigation system is a benchmark product in image-guided neurosurgery, spine, and ENT procedures. Broad incumbent with deep hospital relationships and far greater commercial reach than CAScination's CAS-One IR.
• Intuitive Surgical: Global leader in surgical robotics (da Vinci system). Not a direct competitor in cochlear implantation or ablation navigation, but a benchmark for surgical robotics commercialization and the dominant player that anchors competitive dynamics for new robotic surgery entrants like HEARO.
• Stryker (Navigation): Stryker's surgical navigation and robotics business (including Mako for orthopedics and navigation platforms for neurosurgery/ENT) competes broadly with CAS-One IR. Large incumbent with significantly greater resources and hospital sales reach.
• Brainlab: German-headquartered leader in image-guided surgery and surgical navigation across multiple specialties (neuro, spine, ENT, craniomaxillofacial). Competes directly with CAS-One IR in image-guided ablation planning/navigation, but operates at much broader scale with a wider portfolio.
• Oticon Medical / Cochlear Limited: Major cochlear implant manufacturers that partner with or compete alongside CAScination in the CI value chain. Oticon Medical (and peer Cochlear Limited) are the natural commercial channel partners and competitive context for HEARO and OTOPLAN in the hearing-implants ecosystem.

Emerging players

• HistoSonics: Developer of histotripsy (focused ultrasound) robotic systems for non-invasive tumor destruction. Emerging image-guided ablation player that could overlap with CAS-One IR's navigated ablation market in liver and other indications.
• Profound Medical: Commercializes TULSA-PRO, an MRI-guided transurethral robotic ablation system for prostate tissue. Smaller emerging player in image-guided ablation, similar commercial-stage profile to CAScination with AI/MRI-driven ablation focus.

Direct peers

• AngioDynamics: US-listed medical device company selling tumor ablation systems (microwave, radiofrequency, cryoablation) and related access instruments. Direct competitor in the same hospital interventional oncology call point as CAS-One IR.
• iotaMotion: US-based startup developing robotic assistance systems for cochlear implantation and other ENT procedures. Direct competitor to CAScination's HEARO robotic cochlear implantation platform in an emerging category.
• NeuWave Medical (Johnson & Johnson): Specializes in microwave ablation systems for soft tissue tumors, directly competing with CAScination's CAS-One IR navigation platform in the interventional oncology ablation workflow. Acquired by J&J (Ethicon) giving it significant commercial scale.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/CAScination
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCu5YRVHbkejmsi_6Vjmx87A
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cascination-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

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 CAScination