Neuspera Medical Closes Series D Funding Round

Neuspera Medical Inc. is $23 million richer, having closed a Series D funding round led by Vertex Ventures HC and Treo Ventures. Other financial support came from Action Potential Venture Capital, Windham Venture Partners, Olympus Innovation Ventures, and another strategic investor.

The company intends to use the money to fund the regulatory approval process for its Neuspera Implantable Sacral Neuromodulation (SNM) System, a discreet, minimally invasive, ultra-miniaturized implant designed to provide patients personal control and relief from urinary urge incontinence (UUI), a symptom of overactive bladder (OAB).
 
“As a partner of choice for innovators in urology, we are thrilled to invest in the Neuspera team as they bring the Neuspera System through FDA approval and to the market,” said Gabriela Kaynor, President of Olympus Innovation Ventures and chief strategy officer at Olympus Corporation. “Based on critical unmet market need and patient demand, changes in society guidelines, and positive feedback from patients and physicians in clinical trials, we are excited to invest in the Neuspera team as they build their innovative Neuspera System for OAB.”
 
OAB is a common medical disorder affecting roughly one in six adults. OAB symptoms include a sudden, uncontrolled need or urge to urinate, urine leakage, and/or the need to pass urine many times during the night and day. These symptoms can make it difficult to work, socialize, exercise and lead a normal, active life which can lead to depression, self-esteem and social stigma issues.¹
 
“We’re excited to bring new partners on board as we approach the next significant milestone of submitting the Neuspera System for regulatory approval,” Neuspera Medical CEO Steffen Hovard said. “The confidence and conviction of our new and existing investors, like Olympus Innovation Ventures, demonstrates the strength and potential of our platform technology.”
 
The Neuspera System is the least invasive sacral neuromodulation device and includes an ultra-miniaturized pulse generator attached to an electrode array. It is designed to be discreet and fit within the protected space of the sacral foramen, so patients typically don’t feel any lump or bulge and the scar from the implant procedure is usually barely perceptible. This design eliminates the need for more invasive tunneling and a separate pocket for an implanted battery, while empowering patients to regain control of their OAB symptoms and life.²
 
The Neuspera System has U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance for treating chronic pain of peripheral nerve origin and is currently an investigational device for treating UUI, a symptom associated with OAB.
 
Neuspera Medical develops implantable medical devices tol improve the lives of patients battling chronic illnesses. The Neuspera platform is designed to provide patients and physicians with new, and potentially earlier, treatment options that are less invasive and more adaptable. These therapeutic alternatives aim to help patients restore their health and well-being for a better quality of life. 

Olympus partners with healthcare professionals to provide best-in-class solutions and services for early detection, diagnosis and minimally invasive treatment, aiming to improve patient outcomes by elevating the standard of care in targeted disease states. For more than 100 years, Olympus has pursued a goal of contributing to society by producing products designed with the purpose of delivering optimal outcomes for its customers around the world. Olympus Innovation Ventures is the venture capital arm of Olympus. OIV invests in customer driven solutions in medical devices, diagnostics and digital health that complement or extend our market leading endoscopic procedures. 
 
Vertex Ventures HC, based in San Francisco, invests in various sectors of the healthcare industry, including biopharmaceuticals and medical devices. The Vertex portfolio includes companies at all stages of development, from early-stage companies testing transformative technologies to commercial-stage companies seeking additional growth. With a focus on areas with significant unmet need, Vertex seeks to build great companies that improve the health and quality of human life. Vertex will take an active role in their portfolio companies and work with exceptional entrepreneurs, industry partners and fellow venture investors to create value. The global investment professionals at Vertex bring deep scientific, medical and business knowledge to every investment they make.
 
The Treo team brings more than 90 years of cumulative healthcare experiences as investors, company founders, and operator, investing globally in more than 45 companies through multiple market cycles. The Treo team has been involved in several premium healthcare companies bringing novel technologies to market that have become the standard of care. With their experiences across both early and commercial stage companies, the Treo team has played active and important roles from founding companies to liquidity via trade sales to multiple strategics and IPOs. Treo’s experiences on private and public company boards gives it a unique vantage point in its active involvement with portfolio companies. In addition, the firm’s scientific and commercial backgrounds along with global relationships have helped it play an important role in consistently building some of the most successful healthcare companies over last two decades.

References 
¹ Stewart et al. Prevalence and burden of overactive bladder in the United States. World J Urol. 2003 May;20(6):327-36.
² Based on outcomes of the SANS-UUI Phase I clinical data; Padron et al. (2021). TREATMENT OF URINARY URGENCY INCONTINENCE (UUI) WITH AN ULTRA-MINIATURIZED SACRAL NERVE MODULATION (SNM) SYSTEM: PRELIMINARY OUTCOMES OF THE SANS-UUI STUDY.  Journal of Urology. 2021 Sep 1;206(Supplement 3):e1158.