Charles Sternberg, Associate Editor01.05.23
Volta Medical, a health technology company developing artificial intelligence (AI) solutions to assist electrophysiologist physicians in treating complex cardiac arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation (AF), has announced €36 million ($38.1 million) in new Series B funding, bringing the total capital raised to over €70 million ($74.2 million).
The funding round was led by U.S.-based Vensana Capital with co-investment from Lightstone Ventures and existing investor Gilde Healthcare.
The funding will help accelerate new product development, support additional clinical trials, prepare for full-scale US commercialization, and pursue further regulatory approvals. The company’s lead product, VOLTA VX1, is the first commercially available AI decision-support software to help guide physicians with identification and real-time annotation of unique abnormalities (so called “dispersed electrograms”) on 3D anatomical and electrical maps of the heart. This technology ultimately may lead to optimized catheter-ablation procedures for complex arrhythmias, including persistent AF.
“There is a critical need to improve precision and consistency in cardiac ablation procedures for patients with persistent AF,” said Theophile Mohr Durdez, Volta Medical CEO and co-founder. “With half of these patients requiring repeat treatments, clinicians need tools that enable them to better understand the disease and drastically improve patient outcomes. We believe VOLTA’s VX1 has the potential to do just that in a consistent, reproducible way. We are most grateful to the teams at Vensana, Lightstone, and Gilde for their support and confidence as we partner to further validate our products and expand access to it globally.”
“Volta Medical’s technology is designed to redefine how electrophysiologists make real-time decisions in pinpointing areas relevant to atrial fibrillation persistence,” commented Justin Klein, MD, JD, co-founder and managing partner of Vensana Capital. “We applaud the team’s commitment to validating their products with an investment in multiple high quality clinical trials. We are confident that Volta’s innovative AI software will transform the effectiveness and efficiency of these challenging procedures.”
A seasoned operator in the industry, Slump has a proven track record as a founder and CFO, leading multiple MedTech companies from concept through regulatory approvals, commercial growth, and strategic acquisitions. Most recently, he served as CFO of Surgical Innovation Associates, a rapidly growing medical device company in the reconstructive and plastic surgery market that was acquired by Integra LifeSciences. Prior to that, Slump co-founded FARAPULSE, a medical device company in electrophysiology pioneering novel pulsed field ablation technology that was acquired in 2021 by Boston Scientific.
Previously, Slump served as CFO of Attune Medical, an emerging growth medical device company commercializing proprietary esophageal temperature management devices in electrophysiology and other surgical markets.
“I’m excited to join the Volta Medical team and am pleased with our ability to attract significant equity investment from both new and existing investors in an increasingly challenging fundraising climate,” Slump said. “VOLTA VX1 has the potential to make a major difference in the lives of millions of people with AF, and this Series B Financing will help to accelerate its development and adoption nationally and across the globe.”
The funding round was led by U.S.-based Vensana Capital with co-investment from Lightstone Ventures and existing investor Gilde Healthcare.
The funding will help accelerate new product development, support additional clinical trials, prepare for full-scale US commercialization, and pursue further regulatory approvals. The company’s lead product, VOLTA VX1, is the first commercially available AI decision-support software to help guide physicians with identification and real-time annotation of unique abnormalities (so called “dispersed electrograms”) on 3D anatomical and electrical maps of the heart. This technology ultimately may lead to optimized catheter-ablation procedures for complex arrhythmias, including persistent AF.
“There is a critical need to improve precision and consistency in cardiac ablation procedures for patients with persistent AF,” said Theophile Mohr Durdez, Volta Medical CEO and co-founder. “With half of these patients requiring repeat treatments, clinicians need tools that enable them to better understand the disease and drastically improve patient outcomes. We believe VOLTA’s VX1 has the potential to do just that in a consistent, reproducible way. We are most grateful to the teams at Vensana, Lightstone, and Gilde for their support and confidence as we partner to further validate our products and expand access to it globally.”
“Volta Medical’s technology is designed to redefine how electrophysiologists make real-time decisions in pinpointing areas relevant to atrial fibrillation persistence,” commented Justin Klein, MD, JD, co-founder and managing partner of Vensana Capital. “We applaud the team’s commitment to validating their products with an investment in multiple high quality clinical trials. We are confident that Volta’s innovative AI software will transform the effectiveness and efficiency of these challenging procedures.”
Appointment of John Slump as CFO
Volta Medical also is pleased to announce the appointment of experienced medical device executive, John Slump, as CFO of Volta Medical.A seasoned operator in the industry, Slump has a proven track record as a founder and CFO, leading multiple MedTech companies from concept through regulatory approvals, commercial growth, and strategic acquisitions. Most recently, he served as CFO of Surgical Innovation Associates, a rapidly growing medical device company in the reconstructive and plastic surgery market that was acquired by Integra LifeSciences. Prior to that, Slump co-founded FARAPULSE, a medical device company in electrophysiology pioneering novel pulsed field ablation technology that was acquired in 2021 by Boston Scientific.
Previously, Slump served as CFO of Attune Medical, an emerging growth medical device company commercializing proprietary esophageal temperature management devices in electrophysiology and other surgical markets.
“I’m excited to join the Volta Medical team and am pleased with our ability to attract significant equity investment from both new and existing investors in an increasingly challenging fundraising climate,” Slump said. “VOLTA VX1 has the potential to make a major difference in the lives of millions of people with AF, and this Series B Financing will help to accelerate its development and adoption nationally and across the globe.”