Ircad North America
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2025
- HeadquartersCharlotte, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
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.
Ircad North America firmographics
Firmographics- 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
Ircad North America industry classification
Industry- 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
Where Ircad North America is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Charlotte
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Ircad North America business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
Ircad North America product offering
Product offeringCore 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
Companies that use Ircad North America
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Ircad North America technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability7 records
Feature8 records
Ircad North America partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
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 partnerMulti-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 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 LimitedminorPartnership 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 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 partnerMulti-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 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 partnerPrincipal Health Equity and Education Partner focusing on expanding access to advanced surgical training and supporting education initiatives at the Charlotte facility.
- Proximiepreferred partnerPreferred partner providing surgical connectivity and telementoring technology solutions for remote training capabilities.
- Medicaroidpreferred partnerPreferred 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 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 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 partnerTraining partner collaborating on fellowship and research programs for medical professionals at IRCAD North America.
- Advocate Healthstrategic 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
Ircad North America competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging 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
Ircad North America social profiles
Digital presenceIrcad North America financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ircad North America leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Ircad North America funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ircad North America M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Ircad North America
What does Ircad North America do?
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.
Is Ircad North America a public or private company?
Ircad North America is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Ircad North America founded?
Ircad North America was founded in 2025. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Ircad North America based?
Ircad North America is headquartered in Charlotte, United States, in the North America region.
How does Ircad North America make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Experiential Education Courses are the primary driver. The others are industry Partner Programs and rapid Cycle R&D Services.
Who are Ircad North America's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are FundamentalVR and Osso VR. Broad incumbents are VirtaMed, Surgical Science, Medtronic Surgical Training Centers, Stryker Mako Training Center and Ethicon Institute (Johnson & Johnson). Direct peers are Aesculap Academy (B. Braun), MITIE (Houston Methodist Institute for Technology, Innovation & Education) and IRCAD (Strasbourg).
Does Ircad North America have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ircad North America.
What industry is Ircad North America in?
Ircad North America's product category is Surgical Training and Medical Education Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAFAJAC, Healthcare & Clinical Simulation (Surgery, Nursing, EMT, Patient Interaction). Its NAICS code is 611 and its SIC code is 3841.