Sofinnova Partners Brings in Dr. Joshua Makower, Stanford Biodesign Co-Founder, as Venture Partner

Biomedical technology pioneer and serial entrepreneur will help identify and incubate medtech investments from his base in Palo Alto, California

PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Sofinnova Partners (“Sofinnova”), a leading European life sciences venture capital firm based in Paris, London, and Milan, announced that Dr. Joshua Makower, co-founder and director of the Stanford Byers Center for Biodesign, has joined Sofinnova as an advisory Venture Partner.

Dr. Makower co-founded Stanford Biodesign with Dr. Paul Yock 23 years ago, creating the core curriculum — now known as “The Biodesign Process” — that has been used at Stanford and around the world to train hundreds of thousands of students and industry leaders who have gone on to advance medical innovation and improve the lives of countless patients.

He is the Founder & Executive Chairman of ExploraMed, a medical device incubator that has created eleven companies since 1995. Highlights from the ExploraMed portfolio include NeoTract, maker of a device and procedure to treat an enlarged prostate that was acquired by Teleflex; Acclarent, a creator of devices for minimally invasive sinus surgeries, which was bought by J&J; and TransVascular, a pioneer in transvascular procedures, acquired by Medtronic.

Dr. Makower was a longtime partner in NEA’s healthcare practice, advising the healthcare team and medtech/healthtech investing practice. He sits on the boards of six companies and holds more than 300 patents and patent applications.

Antoine Papiernik, Chairman and Managing Partner at Sofinnova Partners, said: “We are incredibly fortunate to have Josh on board. For more than 28 years, he has played a key role in the evolution of the medical devices field — and in the education of those who wish to create technology that will make patients’ lives easier.”

Dr. Makower said: “I’m really looking forward to partnering with the team at Sofinnova Partners, having observed and respected the firm’s leadership and vision in the medical device space for many years. This is a firm that consistently leads investments in ventures that tackle important unsolved clinical needs with great success.”

Anne Osdoit, Partner at Sofinnova Partners, and a key member of the firm’s medtech accelerator, MD Start, said: “Josh literally wrote the book on designing biomedical technology. He is a giant in the field, and will lend us a formidable presence in the United States as we expand our medical devices incubation strategy globally.”

Dr. Makower has an MBA from Columbia University, an MD from the NYU School of Medicine, and a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from MIT. He is also a Member of the National Academy of Engineering, a Fellow of The National Academy of Inventors and The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and was awarded the Coulter Award for Healthcare Innovation by the Biomedical Engineering Society in 2018.

About Sofinnova Partners

Sofinnova Partners is a leading European venture capital firm in life sciences, specializing in healthcare and sustainability. Based in Paris, London and Milan, the firm brings together a team of professionals from all over the world with strong scientific, medical and business expertise. Sofinnova Partners is a hands-on company builder across the entire value chain of life sciences investments, from seed to later-stage. The firm actively partners with ambitious entrepreneurs as a lead or cornerstone investor to develop transformative innovations that have the potential to positively impact our collective future.

Founded in 1972, Sofinnova Partners is a deeply established venture capital firm in Europe, with 50 years of experience backing over 500 companies and creating market leaders around the globe. Today, Sofinnova Partners has over €2.5 billion under management. For more information, please visit: sofinnovapartners.com.

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