Aortyx, a medtech scale-up based in Barcelona, Spain, has secured €13.8m in a Series A funding round led by Ship2B Ventures and Clave Capital.
Ship2B Ventures led the funding round through the BSocial Impact Fund, and Clave Capital through Clave Innohealth.
Other participants include Nara Capital, the EIC fund, CDTI, angel investors, and a significant corporate player in the aortic device sector.
The intellectual property covers both the catheter and the bioresorbable patch, which is manufactured using the electrospinning technique.
The funding aims to achieve first-in-human readiness for Aortyx’s bioresorbable patch, designed to treat aortic tears, thereby bringing the product closer to market.
Ship2B Ventures Investment Director Jordi Ferreraid: “We are backing Aortyx as it potentially represents a revolution in cardiovascular medicine.
“They are developing a solution that is not only disruptive and technically brilliant, but driven by a clear social purpose: to save lives where today there are barely any options.
“Led by an exceptional team and a bold vision, they have the potential to forever change how we treat aortic dissections.”
Aortyx has developed a minimally invasive solution for aortic dissection, a condition characterised by a tear in the aortic wall.
The company’s steerable catheter delivers a circular patch to seal the tear, and the patch, made from biodegradable material, also acts as a scaffold to promote tissue regrowth.
Aortyx’s first-generation product aims to treat at least half of the aortic dissection cases, which affect over 50,000 people the Europe annually.
Its approach seeks to reduce these risks with its minimally invasive technology, which has shown promising results in animal and cadaver studies.
The funding will help the company reach first-in-human readiness within two years, with vascular and cardiothoracic surgeons as the primary users of the technology.
Aortyx co-founder and CEO Jordi Martorell said: “Aortic dissections kill more people than car crashes. What we hope to provide is an option that is effective, long-lasting, and respectful with the aorta to treat aortic dissection and other aortic diseases.”
Aortyx director and Clave Capital investment director Sergio San Agustín said: “We are extremely excited to join Aortyx. A company born from a vision that will change the paradigm of how aortic dissections are addressed.
“The technology is the result of years of research at IQS and Hospital Clínic, which have been able to transfer this technology and advance the development of the product for patients with the ultimate goal of saving lives.”
