Medtech scale-up Sirius raised €10M - and is an exception
Every month we interview a startup that recently raised an investment. This month we highlight two of them. Today: Sirius Medical.
Published on March 10, 2025
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Sirius Medical, a spin-off from the Netherlands Cancer Institute and former G&A winner, raised €10 million in February. “We improve care for cancer patients by delivering unsurpassed, yet affordable solutions that enable accurate and efficient removal of tumors,” explained Bram Schermers, CEO and CTO of the scale-up.
Surgeons are performing increasingly complex surgeries because they need to remove smaller and smaller tumors. Tumors are increasingly detected at an early stage through imaging techniques. “That increases the patient's chance of survival, but also presents a challenge to distinguish the (small) tumor from surrounding healthy tissue during surgical treatment,” Schermers said.
Now, tumors are removed in breast-conserving surgery with a metal anchor wire or a radioactive iodine seed. These methods are stressful for the patient, the surgeon, the hospital, society, and the environment. So, Schermers' startup developed a better, simpler, and affordable technology. Their Sirius Pintuition navigation system helps surgeons quickly locate breast cancer tumors during surgery with a tiny magnetic seed and an innovative detection system.
G&A winner Sirius Medical aims to help millions of cancer patients with a magnetic seed
This week, we highlight the winners of the Gerard and Anton Awards. Today: Sirius Medical.
From startup to scale-up
The startup became a scale-up: despite high quality requirements, the company managed to take Pintuition from rough concept to market within three years. Currently, Sirius Medical operates in 22 countries worldwide, and more than 50,000 patients have already been treated with the technology. “In 2025, we want to announce our 100,000th patient,” proclaims Schermers.
The company is well on its way toward that milestone. In addition to raising €10 million, Sirius closed a distribution agreement with Mammotome for the United States and Germany last month. Mammotome is a leader in innovative diagnostic and surgical solutions for breast cancer.
Schermers: “Our product has been available in Europe and the US since 2020. Meanwhile, half of our sales come from America. We are very proud of that, but at the same time we were still a small organization; we had three salespeople walking around there. With that you can never serve all of America. Mammotome will now do that for us; they are a world player in breast cancer care.”
Of course, scaling up comes with challenges, such as setting up a supply chain that allows Schermers to ensure enough products are available. “Because we are partnering with a major distributor, we have to synchronize our way of working with theirs. And we have to make sure we have enough products on the shelf and that our products are finished on time. With our operations director, I now sit in a meeting opposite thirty people from Mammotome. That takes some shifting,” Schermers says with a smile.
It is unclear how long the review process will take. Schermers observes that uncertainty is disastrous, especially for young companies. “The American market pays more for your product ánd you know where you stand. If you apply for certification there, you get the results within six months. I think Sirius is a successful exception, there are currently few medtech startups in the Netherlands that manage to raise money at this stage and advance to scale-up.”
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Earning money in the US with European knowledge
The European Commission has drafted a new Medical Device Regulation (MDR), whose transition period ends in 2027. This was decided after several medtech scandals took place; silicone implants for breast reconstruction are one example.
Schermers: “Good, strict regulation is important. But what happens now is that all products already on the market have to be recertified. That process is slow, unclear and costs a lot of money. The EU wants to show that it acts when necessary. However, in developing new regulations, I think there has been too little consideration of the drawbacks. Now you get a situation where all the knowledge and innovation comes out of Europe, while in the US they reap the commercial benefits. We should not want that.”
For Sirius Medical, Schermers sees things in a positive light. The company is working on innovations to improve their solution and make it more user-friendly. “We will also focus on new markets, including Southeast Asia. In five years, I hope all women worldwide will be treated with our technology.”