A French start-up achieved one of the year’s largest fund-raising rounds in the med-tech sector. Having secured financing of nearly €100 million, eCential Robotics aims to become the world leader in surgical robotics by conquering the American market.

The start-up from Grenoble sells a robotic-imaging system that assists surgeons working on the spinal column. The technology, which can also be applied to bone surgery in general, has already been used for over a thousand surgical procedures in France, Italy and Germany. It enables surgeons to be more precise, and procedures less invasive for the patient by offering submillimetric precision.

eCential Robotics is now focusing on developing software offering applications beyond spinal-cord surgery, in order to meet the growing demand for robotic surgery in all fields. The company has arrived at a key stage in its growth, with the industrialization of both of its production units and the opening of subsidiaries in Italy and the United States. Its assembly platform integrates 1,000 components, for production that is largely made in France.

The firm, which has obtained European certification and is awaiting FDA approval for the USA, plans to produce between 100 and 200 platforms in the coming years.