Dutch startup to bring robotic blood drawing to hospitals

Utrecht-based Vitestro has raised €20mn to bring its robotic blood drawing device to market.

Founded in 2017, Vitestro aims to improve the blood draw experience for patients and address personnel shortages in healthcare — where the demand for skilled laboratory professionals is growing at a higher rate than any other occupation.

The startup’s device relies on infrared to locate the vein and ultrasound to create an image of the blood vessel. Then, an AI-based robotic needle uses this information to determine the right puncture location with submillimetre precision.

Since 2023, Vitestro is running the world’s largest-scale clinical trial for autonomous blood drawing devices in collaboration with hospitals and medical centres in the Netherlands.

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Following the end of the study, the company expects to receive the EU’s official certification for its device later this year. Vitestro will then deploy it to several hospitals and laboratories that have already made orders.

With the fresh funding, the company plans to speed up commercialisation in Europe, begin expansion in the US, increase its team, and develop additional product features.

Both existing and new investors backed the round, including Sonder Capita, NYBC Ventures, Invest-NL, and the European Innovation Council Fund (EIC Fund).

“Our technology represents a major step forward in healthcare innovation,” Brian Joseph, commercial director and co-founder at Vitestro, said in the statement.

With healthcare needs constantly evolving, the use of robotics has been playing a pivotal role in fields such as surgery and rehabilitation. While autonomous blood drawing is still a largely uncharted area, it’s also one that holds significant promise.

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