Meet Dexter, the robot that will make surgery more efficient as Lausanne startup plans global roll out with $90 million

Switzerland-based medical device company Distalmotion has raised $90 million in its Series E funding to boost its commercial scaling. The round was led by Austin-based Revival Healthcare Capital with participation from 415 CAPITAL, as well as existing investors.

The company’s offering, Dexter aims to shift the paradigm of robotic surgery by bringing the surgeon back into the sterile field. This allows direct patient access at all times and integrates proven laparoscopic workflows into the robotic setup.

Founded and based in Lausanne, the company’s approach makes the surgeon the focal point of the procedure. This reduces complexity and delivers sought-after simplicity and versatility to the market for robotic surgery.

The investment follows the completion of Dexter’s first clinical cases.

“Dexter combines the best of both worlds – laparoscopy and robotics – to make sense of robotic surgery,” said Distalmotion CEO Michael Friedrich. “By addressing essential problems that operating room teams face, we can deliver on our mission to fast-track widespread adoption of robotic surgery in minimally invasive care.”

“This is a fundamentally new approach to robotic surgery,” said Prof. Dieter Hahnloser, who heads colorectal surgery at Lausanne University Hospital and performed the worldwide first general surgery procedure with Dexter in 2021. “Dexter’s open platform and the ability to switch quickly between standard laparoscopy and the robot give me an added sense of control and the freedom of choice to use the best instruments available for the job. To have these benefits while remaining sterile, with direct access to patient and robot, indicates Dexter can be a gamechanger in ORs around the world.”

In addition to financial backing, Revival will contribute hands-on leadership as the company gears up for growth. Its Chairman Rick Anderson will join the Distalmotion board as Chairman, while President Lauren Forshey will join as an observer.

“The market is overdue for a fundamentally new approach to robotic surgery, where the mindset needs to be about ‘the surgeon’s robot,’ not molding ‘the robot’s surgeon,’” said Rick Anderson, Revival Chairman and incoming Chairman of Distalmotion.