To develop the first-ever mechatronic Shape Memory Alloy Guidewire improving endovascular access & navigation during minimally invasive procedures.

BCV announced today that the company has secured €6 million in a Series A round of financing led by New-York based Forepont Capital Partners, an international venture capital firm investing in disruptive biotech & medtech start-ups. Other investors include Palo Alto based NTI, France based MEDCO and existing French investors. This Series A funding brings the total amount raised since inception to €13M. BCV’s Series A remains open until March 31st 2024.

“Forepont is proud to lead BCV’s series A raise to support the advancement of BCV’s superior technology that has already been endorsed by over 100 international interventional radiology experts in the US and in Europe,” says Frederic Batoua, a Partner at Forepont Capital partners. 

“Our technology, applied to a guidewire, will be a disruptive change in minimally invasive procedures improving patients’ outcomes,” says Raphaël Blanc, M.D., Chairman & Co-Founder, BCV.

The funding will accelerate the development of BCV’s range of active mechatronic1 guidewires, from manufacturing to go-to-market.  BCV has already built a plant in Reims to secure in-house manufacturing and R&D evolution toward miniaturization.

“This round of financing will enable BCV to progress toward FDA and CE mark approval,” adds Thierry Col, CEO, BCV. “Forepont and NTI will accelerate BCV’s development first in the US market thanks to a premier network in endovascular access,” concludes Thierry Col.

The patented innovation consists of an actuable2 guidewire controlled by a smart handle and a generator.

The BCV system’s shape-memory alloy technology enables distal tip control improving practitioners’ gestures and demonstrating superior performance over existing advanced actuation technologies.

BCV creates an opportunity to simplify and speed up access in complicated anatomies, a critical part of all endovascular procedures,” as Adnan H. Siddiqui, MD, PhD, FACS, FAHA (USA) underlines.

This steerable mechatronic guidewire is designed to enhance safety, reduce procedure time and produce better outcomes, providing support during critical interventions performed for stroke or artery diseases.

About BCV

BCV is a medical device company founded in 2016 with the mission to improve patient outcomes by providing optimized navigation for endovascular procedures. The company successfully achieved its first in-human clinical trial in 2022 at Rothschild Foundation Hospital in Paris and filed a pre-submission application with the FDA.

Originally developed with help from Institute of Intelligent Systems and Robotics (ISIR) at Sorbonne University-CNRS and INSERM (Paris, France), the core technology is mechatronic. To learn more, please visit www.basecampvascular.com.

Caution: The BCV System is an investigational device and is not available for commercial sale worldwide.

About Forepont Capital Partners

Forepont Capital Partners is a healthcare and life science venture capital firm based in New York with a strong presence in Europe. Forepont has developed partnerships with industry leaders, physicians, key opinion leaders, universities, hospitals and pharmaceutical groups, mainly in neurology. Forepont invest in early-stage companies whose science and technology are intended to positively impact the lives of patients. Forepont provides scientific, technological, financial and operational support to improve portfolio company performance, leveraging their talents with its know-how and global ecosystem. To learn more, please visit www.forepont.com.

About NTI

Neurotechnology Investors is composed of physicians from around the world with backgrounds in neurosurgery, neurology, and several vascular specialties. NTI draws on the collective knowledge of its membership to identify, invest, and provide operational expertise for promising medical technologies along their development lifecycle, from concept through commercialization. To learn more, please visit www.themdadvantage.com.

“Forepont is proud to lead BCV’s series A raise to support the advancement of BCV’s superior technology that has already been endorsed by over 100 international interventional radiology experts in the US and in Europe,” says Frederic Batoua, a Partner at Forepont Capital partners. 

1  Mechatronic: both mechanical and electronic.

2 Actuable: the ability to be put into mechanical action or motion.