Irish Neurovascular Firm Perfuze Raises $25M for Novel Stroke Treatment

Irish catheter-based aspiration tech firm Perfuze closed a $25 million (22.5 million Euro) Series A investment round today. The proceeds will fuel the next stage of U.S. clinical study and United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance for the Millipede system to treat large vessel occlusion ischemic strokes.
 
Ischemic strokes happen when a clot blocks a blood vessel in the brain, hindering blood flow.
 
The funding round was supported by new investors LSP, Seroba Life Sciences, and SV Health Investors as well as existing investors Earlybird, the HBM MedFocus Fund, Enterprise Ireland, and a group of Irish business veterans and stroke clinicians.
 
LSP partner Anne Portwich, Seroba Life Sciences partner Daniel O’Mahony, and SV Health Investors senior associate Megan MacDonough will join Perfuze’s board of directors.
 
“Perfuze has a technology with the potential to significantly improve outcomes for stroke patients,” Portwich told the press. “We are delighted to support the company and its management team to expand as it pushes towards getting its life-saving technology to market.”
 
Commenting on why Seroba decided to invest in Perfuze, O’Mahony said “Seroba recognizes that for patients who have suffered a stroke event, time is brain. Perfuze’s Millipede technology will allow for rapid and successful blood vessel recanalization which is vital to improve the patient’s functional status and reduce mortality following a stroke event.”
 
Perfuze CEO Wayne Allen added, “We are delighted to have completed our Series A financing with such experienced investors and this capital facilitates our continued growth and development. We believe that the Perfuze Millipede System is the next wave of thrombectomy technology in the rapidly growing stroke market and has the potential to positively impact the lives of thousands of stroke patients.”