Institut Mérieux has returned for a $26.5m round for surgical technology developer Keranova, having previously supported a $4.6m round three and a half years ago.
France-based cataract treatment developer Keranova has raised €24m ($26.5m) in funding from investors including Mérieux Equity Partners, an investment vehicle for medical holding group Institut Mérieux, according to La Tribune.
Supernova Invest, Financière Arbevel, Tourrette Investissement and several undisclosed international investors also took part in the round.
Keranova is working on non-invasive surgical technology that will combine robotics and a high-speed laser with imaging technology to assist the surgeon who will theoretically be able to cure cataracts in under a minute.
The cash will aid Keranova’s plans to commercially launch its technology by 2021, accelerating technology development, supporting applications for regulatory approval and funding an increase in headcount. It expects to expand the technology to treat myopia and astigmatism by 2025.
Mérieux Développement, the investment firm owned by Institut Mérieux, had led a $4.6m round for the company in 2016 that also included CEA Investissement and French state-owned investment bank BPIfrance.
