Brainlab Among Investors Supporting Microrobot Startup

Neurosurgical microrobot startup Robeauté has raised $28 million in a financing round led by Plural, Cherry Ventures, and Kindred Ventures. The company intends to use the money to continue developing its technology, begin human trials next year, and establish U.S. operations ahead of U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval and commercialization. 

“There is unexplored potential for microrobots in medicine. Current neurosurgery techniques are invasive and can be fatal, whilst it is difficult for treatment to pass the blood-brain barrier and get to its intended target,” Robeauté Co-Founder/CEO Bertrand Duplat said. “We’re creating microrobots that will bring unparalleled access to the brain with personalized, precision medicine that can transform treatments and patient outcomes. Over the past eight years, we’ve built a team of experts, filed over 50 patents and commenced animal trials. This new funding from some of Europe’s leading investors will take us to the next level as part of our mission to empower neurosurgeons or neurospecialists with the tools to make a difference.”

Other investors participating in the funding round included LocalGlobe, Think.Health, APEX Ventures, and Brainlab.

Neurological disorders are difficult to diagnose in the early stages when intervention can have the most impact. Modern neurosurgery still relies on relatively crude methods, with stiff tools pushed through the brain in a straight line, impeding multi-site access and precise targeting. Meanwhile, pharmaceutical treatments struggle to make an impact due to the complexities of crossing the blood-brain barrier to reach the site of interest.

The size of a grain of rice, Robeauté’s microrobots can move along curved routes through the extracellular matrix to safely reach multiple sites of interest and carry out a necessary task locally. The tiny, modular medical devices can embark on specific missions depending on the pathology, making them the ideal tool to deliver molecules, implant an electrode and collect cell or live-data samples through sensors to transform our understanding and ability to treat neuropathologies. 

“We’re building the microrobots that will enable a radical paradigm shift in how we approach neurosurgery and dialogue with the brain. We like to think of our microrobot as a brain gardener, that can tend to the pathological organ from within, with a standard carrier that can be adapted to fit a variety of extensions,” Robeauté Co-Founder/Chief Operating Officer Joana Cartocci stated. “Our first application is advanced biopsy but from there the potential is boundless, unlocked through providing safe access and unprecedented site-specific data. We look forward to the next stage in our company’s growth as we expand to the U.S. and work closely with the regulatory authorities to bring the device to patients.”  

Transforming Knowledge of the Brain

Duplat has spent 30 years in robotics, including at McGill University in Montreal and the European Space Agency (ESA), specializing in developing robots in extreme environments. He founded a 3D software company, Virtools (sold to Dassault Systèmes), before starting Robeauté with Cartocci (an operations specialist) when his mother was diagnosed with glioblastoma.

Over the past eight years, the team has established more than 50 patents and unique know-how from creating and assembling into the carrier a tiny engine, propeller, steering and tracking device, enabling surgeons to monitor the microrobot’s movement through the brain and account for every microsecond. The technology is currently in animal studies as a biopsy tool, which will allow it to later be used for treatment and real-time monitoring, achieved through partnerships with industrial partners and research labs. 

“Robeauté’s technology doesn’t just have the potential to transform neurosurgery—it could also fundamentally change how drug companies find the best solutions for patients,” Plural Partner Ian Hogarth stated. “Gathering patient brain data will teach us more about diseases that are often incurable, enabling more personalized treatment. I strongly believe that Robeauté’s miniature robots could transform brain treatments in the same way the endoscope has transformed gastrointestinal medicine, for a part of our body that is so vital to our quality of life.”

The new strategic investment with Brainlab is part of the company’s commitment to neurological advancement and its excitement about the potential to eliminate existing constraints and rethink approaches in neurosurgery. This will also support Robeauté’s entrance into the United States, where the company will pursue FDA approval before addressing the European regulatory authorities. 

“The challenge posed by neurodegenerative diseases is immense, touching countless lives across the globe. What Robeauté is building truly embodies the spirit of frontier technology,” Cherry Ventures Founding Partner Filip Dames said. “At the crossroads of robotics, AI, and medicine, Bertrand, Joana, and their team are pioneering a revolutionary neurosurgical microbot. Their work isn’t just advancing microrobotic surgery—it’s reshaping how we think about precision, outcomes, and the future of care for those battling these devastating conditions. Their vision and dedication hold incredible promise for improving lives on a transformative scale.”

Robeauté is a medtech startup developing neurosurgical microrobots designed to travel safely through the brain to diagnose, treat and monitor neuropathologies. The company has been awarded more than 50 patents. 

Plural is an early-stage investment fund that backs ambitious founders with world-changing technology. The fund launched in June 2022 with the intention to give serious founders in Europe investors with experience to match their ambition. Based in Tallinn, Estonia; and London, Plural’s aims to address systemic risks and reduce the opportunity gap worldwide through the companies it backs. 

Cherry Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm based in Berlin, London, and Stockholm. Its entire investment team consists of former entrepreneurs and operators who have built fast-scaling companies including Zalando, Spotify, and Uber. The team is working with more than 100 active portfolio companies in Europe with the support of an extensive pool of Europe’s top founders and operators including those from Dropbox, Zalando, Spotify, N26, Skype, Supercell, Wolt, Doordash.

Founded in 2014, Kindred Ventures is a venture capital investment firm based in San Francisco. The firm seeks to invest in companies operating in consumer products, consumer services, energy, healthcare, information technology, TMT, e-commerce, blockchain, cryptocurrency, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and technology-based sectors. This firm is a Registered Investment Adviser (RIA).