Ircad North America

What Ircad North America does

IRCAD North America is the first U.S. location of the IRCAD global surgical training network, founded in Strasbourg in 1994 by Professor Jacques Marescaux. The entity was incorporated in 2025 and opened its 700,000-square-foot flagship training and research center at The Pearl innovation district in Charlotte, North Carolina in June 2025, anchoring a multi-tenant medtech campus developed by Advocate Health (formerly Atrium Health), Wexford Science & Technology, and Ventas. The center provides hands-on experiential education across minimally invasive surgical specialties — general surgery and endoscopy, cardiovascular and thoracic, neurosurgery, and orthopaedics — with training formats ranging from 2-month internships and 3-month mini-fellowships to 12-month full fellowships and ad-hoc short courses.

The facility integrates three hybrid operating rooms with advanced imaging (CT, MRI, biplane fluoroscopy), 26 laparoscopic stations, 12 large and 24 small robotic surgical stations, two dedicated robotic suites, remote surgery and intervention suites, and broadcast/auditorium infrastructure supporting telementoring at global scale. Named translational focus areas include augmented reality guided surgery, AI-driven real-time evaluation of surgical devices, medical robotics, surgical device conceptualization, team dynamics, and brain-computer interfaces. The Excubator program provides an incubator, accelerator, and scaler for medtech product development. The companion WebSurg online platform offers 4,000+ HD surgical training videos with CME accreditation.

Revenue is generated through three streams: course fees for experiential education programs, industry partnership revenue from co-developed courses and research with medical device companies (Stryker, Medtronic, Siemens Healthineers, Johnson & Johnson, Boston Scientific, PENTAX Medical), and R&D services from the Excubator program. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; courses are calendar-based with quote-based fees varying by program type and duration. Geographic reach is global via in-person attendance at Charlotte, remote telementoring/broadcast capabilities, WebSurg's worldwide online audience, and the parent IRCAD network's 150+ country footprint.

Name

Ircad North America

Legal name

IRCAD North America

Website

https://ircadna.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2025

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Surgical Training and Medical Education Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841), Electromedical & Electrotherapeutic Apparatus (3845)

akta.pro primary industry

Healthcare & Clinical Simulation (Surgery, Nursing, EMT, Patient Interaction) (EDAFAJAC)

Keywords

• Surgical training
• Minimally invasive surgery
• Robotic surgery education
• Medical simulation
• Translational research

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlotte

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Experiential Education Courses: Hands-on surgical training courses for practicing physicians, fellows, residents, medical students, and visiting scholars. Programs include Full Fellowship (12 months), Mini Fellowship (3 months), and Internship (2 months) tracks. Course fees charged for specialized surgical training in robotics, laparoscopy, endoscopy, and other minimally invasive techniques.
2. Industry Partner Programs: Strategic partnerships with medical device companies (Stryker, Medtronic, Siemens, Johnson & Johnson, Boston Scientific) who sponsor courses, develop training programs, and conduct research on site. Revenue from industry course hosting and collaborative program development.
3. Rapid Cycle R&D Services: The Excubator provides incubator, accelerator, and scalar services supporting product development for inventors, startups, and industry partners. Revenue generated from R&D facility usage, consulting, and innovation ecosystem participation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

IRCAD North America operates a surgical training and research center offering hands-on courses in minimally invasive techniques, robotics, augmented reality, and AI-driven surgery. It also runs WebSurg, an online e-learning platform with 4,000+ surgical videos, and the Excubator, a rapid-cycle R&D incubator-accelerator for medical device development. The center is the first U.S. location of the IRCAD global network, located in The Pearl innovation district in Charlotte, NC.

Product overview

IRCAD North America operates as a unified surgical training and innovation ecosystem consisting of a flagship training center in Charlotte, North Carolina, paired with WebSurg, its companion online education platform. The center offers hands-on courses across multiple surgical specialties (general surgery, cardiovascular, neurosurgery, orthopaedics) supported by a network of over 800 international faculty experts. The Excubator program provides translational R&D infrastructure for medical device development. Training programs range from 2-month internships to 12-month fellowships, with facilities including 26 laparoscopic stations, 36 robotic stations, hybrid operating rooms with advanced imaging, and remote surgery suites.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WebSurg: The no-cost online training website maintained by IRCAD, the world's leading destination for online education in minimally invasive surgery with over 4,000 high-definition videos.
• Excubator

Products and services

• IRCAD North America Surgical Training Center
• WebSurg
• Excubator
• Full Fellowship Program
• Mini Fellowship Program
• Internship Program
• Robotic Surgery Training
• Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery Courses
• Neurosurgery Training
• Orthopaedic Surgery Training
• General Surgery and Endoscopy Courses

Quantifiable outcome

• 5,000+ medical professionals trained in first year with 130+ programs
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered preferred partner, strategic founding partner, minor, principal health equity and education partner, strategic professional society partner, training partner and strategic partner.

• PENTAX Medicalpreferred partnerStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 October 2025Multi-year partnership to provide advanced endoscopic technologies and expertise for surgical training. Collaboration involves supplying state-of-the-art imaging systems and developing educational modules to enhance minimally invasive surgery programs for healthcare professionals globally.
• Siemens Healthineersstrategic founding partnerStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 September 2025Strategic founding partner providing advanced medical imaging and diagnostic technologies for surgical training. Siemens opened its first U.S.-based Experience Center (60,000 sq ft, $141M investment) at The Pearl in Charlotte, adjacent to IRCAD, for healthcare professionals to test and evaluate latest medical imaging equipment including AI-driven diagnostic tools and high-end scanners valued up to $3 million.
• Beijing Surgerii Robotics Company LimitedminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 August 2025Partnership to establish a European Clinical Excellence Center with IRCAD for training surgeons on the SHURUI Single-Port Surgical Robot. The robot received CE certification as the first single-port robotic system approved for pediatric use in Europe.
• Medtronicstrategic founding partnerStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 June 2025Strategic collaboration to integrate Medtronic's surgical technologies into IRCAD North America's training facility in Charlotte. Partnership aims to enhance surgical education in cardiovascular, neuroscience, and minimally invasive specialties through hands-on training with systems like the Hugo robotic-assisted surgery platform. Expected to open September 2025.
• Strykerstrategic founding partnerStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Multi-year agreement to establish an advanced experiential education center in Charlotte. Stryker advanced healthcare innovation and education efforts through strategic initiatives including partnership with IRCAD North America for training course development and medical device education.
• Johnson & Johnson (MedTech)strategic founding partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic founding partner supporting surgical training programs at IRCAD North America. Partnership enables development of training curricula and hands-on education for medical professionals.
• Boston Scientificprincipal health equity and education partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrincipal Health Equity and Education Partner focusing on expanding access to advanced surgical training and supporting education initiatives at the Charlotte facility.
• Proximiepreferred partnerTechnology or IntegrationPreferred partner providing surgical connectivity and telementoring technology solutions for remote training capabilities.
• Medicaroidpreferred partnerTechnology or IntegrationPreferred partner for medical robotics integration and support at the IRCAD North America facility.
• SAGES (Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons)strategic professional society partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic professional society partner providing faculty expertise and curriculum development for surgical training programs. SAGES is a leading organization dedicated to advancing minimally invasive surgery education.
• Wake Forest University School of Medicinetraining partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraining partner providing academic integration and dual certification offerings. Located adjacent to IRCAD North America at The Pearl innovation district. Partnership enables joint educational programs and research collaboration.
• Virginia Techtraining partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraining partner collaborating on fellowship and research programs for medical professionals at IRCAD North America.
• Advocate Healthstrategic partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent healthcare system supporting IRCAD North America as part of The Pearl innovation district. Advocate Health projects the completed 38-acre campus will generate $1.2 billion in annual economic impact once fully built out.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• FundamentalVR: VR-based surgical simulation platform offering haptic-enabled training across multiple specialties. Comparable as an emerging alternative for portions of the hands-on surgical training curriculum IRCAD NA delivers.
• Osso VR: Virtual reality surgical training platform widely used by medtech companies and academic centers. Comparable as an emerging immersive-training alternative that competes for partner training budgets.

Broad incumbents

• VirtaMed: Swiss-based developer of high-fidelity surgical simulators for arthroscopy, laparoscopy, hysteroscopy, and urology used in residency programs and medtech training. Comparable as a broader incumbent offering simulation alternatives to physical lab training.
• Surgical Science: Developer of virtual reality surgical simulation training simulators and software used by hospitals, academic centers, and medtech companies globally. Comparable as a broader incumbent providing simulation alternatives to physical surgical training.
• Medtronic Surgical Training Centers: Medtronic operates dedicated training centers (including for the Hugo robotic-assisted surgery platform) targeting surgeons on its devices. Comparable as an industry partner and direct competitor for surgeon-training hours.
• Stryker Mako Training Center: Stryker's global network of Mako robotic-surgery training facilities for orthopedic and spine surgeons. Comparable as a medtech-led experiential education model focused on robotic-assisted surgery training.
• Ethicon Institute (Johnson & Johnson): Johnson & Johnson's surgical training arm offering hands-on education in minimally invasive and robotic surgery. Comparable as a Strategic Founding Partner to IRCAD NA and a direct competitor for medtech-sponsored training budgets.

Direct peers

• Aesculap Academy (B. Braun): B. Braun's global surgical training center network offers hands-on courses in minimally invasive and orthopedic surgery across multiple sites. Comparable as a medtech-company-sponsored surgical training academy with similar course catalog and faculty-based delivery model.
• MITIE (Houston Methodist Institute for Technology, Innovation & Education): Houston Methodist's flagship surgical simulation and education center with hybrid ORs, robotic platforms, and industry-sponsored training programs. A leading U.S. peer combining hands-on surgical training with translational research partnerships.
• IRCAD (Strasbourg): Parent organization and original IRCAD institute in Strasbourg, France. Operates the same minimally invasive surgical training model across multiple specialties with similar hybrid OR and live-broadcast capabilities; the U.S. operation is a direct franchise of this model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?id=61550269481678
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ircad-north-america
• Instagraminstagram.com/ircadnorthamerica

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Ircad North America