CorWave, a French medtech company developing a next generation heart pump, won the 2021 HealthTech Award in the medtech category yesterday.

Organised by France Biotech, the French professional association of healthtech entrepreneurs, the event rewards the companies that have made the biggest impact on the sector this year. 

109 companies submitted applications for the 2021 Healthtech Awards. CorWave received the MedTech Award, which recognises a medical device or diagnostic company that has distinguished itself over the past two years by making remarkable advances in areas such as R&D, operational development, or financing. 

CorWave marked significant achievements during 2021 in each of these areas. In January, the company announced a €35 million Series C funding round, in which its existing investors (Bpifrance, Novo Holdings, Seventure, Sofinnova Partners and Ysios Capital) were joined by Financière Arbevel, M&L Healthcare and the European Commission funded $4.4 billion EIC Fund, which is one of the largest VC funds in Europe. CorWave also made major progress in R&D, completing an unprecedented in vivo preclinical study in which its heart pump successfully operated in pulsatile mode, synchronising with the native heart without the aid of sensors, for 90 days. On the operational development front, CorWave bolstered its team with the recruitment of two seasoned international professionals who bring over three decades of experience in the heart pump field. They will lead the key operational functions of the company as it transitions to clinical device production and clinical trial phase. 

Bernard Kirsch, president of Angels Santé, and Guirec Le Lous, a leader of the Urgo Group, one of France's largest medical device companies, jointly presented the award to CorWave. 

Louis de Lillers, CEO of CorWave, said: "It is an honour to be awarded this first medtech prize organised by France Biotech, an association that was created nearly 25 years ago and is a reference in our field of life sciences. This encouragement will further strengthen the motivation of our team, which is working with determination to fulfil our mission: to save heart failure patients and offer them an active life. We will also do our utmost to ensure that CorWave realises its full potential and becomes a global leader.”

Franck Mouthon, president of France Biotech, added: "As chairman of the selection jury for the 2021 Healthtech Awards, I am delighted that CorWave has been awarded the Medtech Award. It rewards the excellence of CorWave and its teams, and through it, the innovation of our French healthtech companies. The France Biotech Association is more than ever committed to working alongside healthcare entrepreneurs to bring ever more innovative solutions to patients.”