Surgical Robot Maker Cornerstone Robotics Raises Over 500 Million RMB in Series C to Accelerate Commercialization and Global Expansion
Surgery with peace of mind, lives lived to their fullest.
On January 13, Cornerstone Robotics, a leading Chinese innovator in surgical robotics, announced the completion of its Series C fundraising of over RMB 500 million. The round was led by EQT, a major European private equity firm, with participation from Qiming Venture Partners, Alpha JWC Ventures, HKSTP Ventures, eGarden Ventures, and other domestic and international institutional investors.
The round attracted multiple new strategic investors — a recognition not only of Cornerstone Robotics' innovation and global capabilities, but also a boost to help the company reach new heights in its global expansion strategy. Gaorong Ventures co-led Cornerstone Robotics' angel round in 2019 and has continued to invest in subsequent rounds.
The proceeds will accelerate the company's commercialization efforts, new surgical robot product development, clinical trials, and global business development and partnerships.
Five Years of High-Quality Growth, Now Entering Commercialization
Guided by its mission of "making surgery safer, making life more expansive," Cornerstone Robotics has pursued independent innovation to build a safe and efficient surgical robotics platform. After five years of rapid, high-quality development, the company has established three global R&D centers, achieved full mastery of core technologies spanning mechanical architecture, electrical systems, software frameworks, complex algorithms, and visual imaging, and built its own foundational surgical robotics technology platform. It also operates a mass-production facility of over 10,000 square meters in the Greater Bay Area, successfully realizing end-to-end "independent R&D and independent manufacturing" for surgical robots.
2024 marked Cornerstone Robotics' first year of commercialization. The company's independently developed Sentire® laparoscopic surgical robot received approval from China's National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) on September 29, 2024.
Focused on Technology Innovation, Expanding Deeply into Global Markets
Leveraging its independently developed and manufactured products with high performance and cost advantages, Cornerstone Robotics has established partnerships with top medical centers in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Europe, and has successfully completed clinical cases across multiple key specialties as planned — laying a solid foundation for future international expansion and global healthcare service.
Meanwhile, the company continues to explore additional application scenarios and clinical collaboration opportunities worldwide, accelerating the adoption and普及 of its technology and services. Through partnerships with medical and educational institutions, it has made substantive progress in application deployment and clinical training. At the same time, a virtuous cycle has formed between clinical feedback and the R&D team's innovations, integrating robotics with AI to enable more precise and complex surgeries, driving the普及 of smart healthcare through technological advancement, and better serving society and the public.
Professor Dennis Yuk-Ming Lo, founder and CEO of Cornerstone Robotics, said: "2024 is a significant milestone in Cornerstone Robotics' development. I would like to thank our new and existing shareholders for their trust and support. This represents not only strong recognition of our team's ability to translate innovation into real-world applications, but also firm confidence in the company's long-term, high-quality growth. 'Building the cornerstone of China's surgical robotics industry' was our original aspiration when we set sail in 2019. After five years of effort, we have successfully achieved 'independent R&D and independent manufacturing,' gained recognition from the NMPA this year, and earned growing recognition from customers and partners."
Looking ahead, Professor Lo stated: "Our team will continue along the path of innovation, making high-quality surgical robotics products and technology available at affordable prices to people in need around the world. Going forward, we will remain focused on technology innovation, deepen our global market expansion, advance overseas certifications, and work with more partners to jointly create value for the smart healthcare industry and contribute to a better life for humanity."
