Rotterdam’s healthtech startup Kaminari Medical bags €3.8M from Graduate Entrepreneur, NLC Health Ventures, others

Rotterdam-based Kaminari Medical, a medtech company specialised in intravascular imaging technology, announced on Monday that it has secured €3.8M in a fresh funding round.

The round includes investments from Graduate Entrepreneur, NLC Health Ventures, Libertatis Ergo Holding (Leiden University), and Demcon Investment.

Additionally, an Innovation Credit of €1.5M from the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) has been secured.

The funding will allow the Dutch company to accelerate the development of its photoacoustics and ultrasound imaging platform, initiate clinical trials, and work up to market introduction.

“We are thrilled to be supported by such esteemed investors who share our vision of transforming cardiovascular diagnostics and therapy guidance,” said Jeroen Kodde, CEO of Kaminari Medical.

“This funding allows us to expedite the development of our technology, bring it to healthcare providers, and ultimately improve outcomes for millions of patients affected by cardiovascular disease,” adds Kodde.

Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), the leading cause of death worldwide is largely driven by lipid-rich plaques that narrow the coronary arteries and can lead to life-threatening events such as heart attacks and acute coronary syndromes (ACS).

Currently, available diagnostics tools cannot precisely identify high-risk plaques prone to rupture, leaving interventional cardiologists with limited information when deciding the optimal treatment strategy.

Kaminari Medical: Pioneeing intravascular imaging solutions

Founded in 2020 as a spin-off of the Rotterdam (NL) based Erasmus Medical Centre, Kaminari Medical specialises in the next generation of intravascular imaging solutions.

“With this investment, we can bring our scientific endeavours to the patient’s bedside: Knowledge valorisation at its finest”, says Professor Ton van der Steen, co-founder of Kaminari Medical and head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering of Erasmus Medical Centre.

By combining photoacoustics with ultrasound imaging technology, the company helps healthcare providers make more informed decisions during life-saving interventional cardiovascular procedures.

The technology provides the real-time qualification of plaque composition, particularly lipid-rich plaques that pose the greatest risk of rupture.

By delivering a more accurate assessment of coronary arteries, the company enables physicians to better assess the risk of major cardiovascular events, guide optimal treatment strategies, and save lives.

The investors

Graduate Entrepreneur is a venture capital fund, founded in 2021 by alumni of TU Delft, Erasmus MC, and Erasmus University Rotterdam.

The initiative includes both a Pre-Seed and Seed Fund, with a combined capital of €58M.

Graduate Entrepreneur supports founders in scaling their companies, not only by providing financing but also by providing access to an extensive network of more than 170 experienced entrepreneurs and alumni.

“We believe Kaminari Medical is uniquely positioned to disrupt the intravascular imaging space with its innovative approach to cardiovascular diagnostics,” says Graduate Entrepreneur representative Filip Cuypers.

“Their novel solution will give physicians the tools they need to make procedures safer, more effective, and ultimately save lives. We are excited to support the company in this next stage of growth,” adds Cuypers.

Libertatis Ergo Holding (LEH) is an independent seed investor in life science and health companies, which creates, supports, and invests in startup and spinout companies connected to the activities of Leiden University, many of which are located on the Leiden Bio Science Park.

“We’re inspired by physicians’ enthusiasm and the growing evidence supporting plaque characterisation for accurate coronary artery disease diagnosis and treatment,” says Alessandro Radaelli, Venture Partner at NLC Health Ventures, and Ram Siddappa, Investment Manager at LEH, who have been appointed to Kaminari Medical’s Supervisory Board.