MicroTransponder, a company that is attempting to transform the stroke continuum of care with its US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved Vivistim paired vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) system, has announced a US$65 million Series F financing round.
The round was led by US Venture Partners (USVP) and a syndicate of current investors including Osage University Partners, Action Potential Venture Capital, GPG Ventures, The Vertical Group, and Exceller Hunt Ventures, as well as two new investors—Gilde Healthcare and Longitude Capital.
“The MicroTransponder executive leadership team is building the company in a very thoughtful way to establish Vivistim therapy as the standard of care for stroke survivors,” said Casey Tansey, a USVP general partner and MicroTransponder board member. “We’re excited by the combination of commercial excellence and the overwhelmingly positive clinical outcomes that show material improvements in stroke survivors’ quality of life with paired VNS therapy.”
A MicroTransponder press release claims that Vivistim is the first and only FDA-approved intervention clinically proven to help chronic ischaemic stroke survivors regain two-to-three times more upper-extremity function than high-intensity stroke therapy alone.
Approved with a Breakthrough Device designation from the US FDA, Vivistim is an implanted device that a therapist pairs with VNS during high-repetition, goal-oriented therapy tasks. According to MicroTransponder, paired VNS therapy helps increase neuroplasticity so stroke survivors can make “unprecedented gains” with their hands and arms during activities of daily living.
As also outlined in the company’s recent release, real-world data presented at the 2025 International Stroke Conference (ISC; 5–7 February, Los Angeles, USA) by two independent comprehensive stroke centres complement published clinical studies demonstrating the effectiveness of paired VNS therapy for chronic stroke survivors.
“We’ve built programmes in 20% of Joint Commission Comprehensive Stroke Centers and 50% of Becker’s 2024 100 Great Neuro and Spine Programs by presenting Vivistim as the evidence-based chronic stroke recovery solution that’s been missing from the stroke continuum of care,” said Richard Foust, MicroTransponder’s chief executive officer (CEO). “In partnership with leading healthcare providers, we’ve helped build new programmes that support our goal of changing the standard of care for stroke treatment across the USA, renewing hope for stroke survivors and their caregivers.”
