More than 50,000 Europeans suffer from aortic dissection each year — a life-threatening tear in the aorta’s wall. Globally, this condition affects about 6 in 100,000 people annually. Without treatment, the mortality rate reaches 1–2% per hour. Current treatments — open-heart surgery, endovascular stent grafts, and medication — are either highly invasive, risky, or only partially effective, leading to high mortality and morbidity rates across all timeframes. Aortyx, a Barcelona-based medtech scaleup, is developing a minimally invasive solution to this problem.
Their innovative technology uses a steerable catheter to navigate the aorta and deliver a bioresorbable, circular patch that seals the tear. This biodegradable patch acts as scaffolding, promoting natural tissue regrowth while respecting the aorta’s natural biomechanics.
In an exclusive conversation with TFN, CEO and co-founder Jordi Martorell explains, “After securing my position as a biomedical engineering researcher at IQS, I was searching for a significant challenge. Meeting one of Salvador’s students who had aortic dissection gave me first-hand insight into this life-threatening condition. I realised there was no good solution — only highly invasive procedures like open surgery and stent-grafts with high mortality rates, or doing nothing, which wasn’t viable long-term. I knew my expertise could help create something truly impactful.”
Strategic funding accelerates path to human trials
Earlier this week, Aortyx secured a €13.8 million Series A funding round, led by Ship2B Ventures and Clave Capital. Other investors include Nara Capital, the EIC Fund, CDTI, angel investors, and a leading corporate player in the aortic space.
According to the founders’ conversation with TFN, total funding has reached €16.8 million in capital plus €5 million in public funding and soft loans. This funding will support first-in-human testing within two years, advancing their product toward market readiness. The technology has already shown promising results in animal and cadaver studies.
With this recent funding, Aortyx will advance through clinical trials and regulatory processes, targeting EU and US markets. The company also develops next-generation patches for other aortic conditions, including aneurysms.
The Aortyx founders emphasise, “Aortic dissections cause more deaths than car crashes. We aim to provide an effective, lasting solution that works harmoniously with the aorta to treat dissections and other aortic diseases.”
“We are backing Aortyx as it potentially represents a revolution in cardiovascular medicine. They are developing a disruptive and technically brilliant solution, but driven by a clear social purpose: to save lives where there are barely any options today. Led by an exceptional team and a bold vision, they have the potential to change forever how we treat aortic dissections,” says Jordi Ferrer, Investment Director at Ship2B Ventures.
“We are extremely excited to join Aortyx. A company born from a vision that will change the paradigm of how aortic dissections are addressed. The technology is the result of years of research at IQS and Hospital Clínic, which have been able to transfer this technology and advance the development of the product for patients with the ultimate goal of saving lives,” adds Sergio San Agustín, Investment Director at Clave Capital and Board Member at Aortyx.
IP for the catheter, the deploying hardware, and the patch itself
Aortyx’s founding team comprises four co-founders: CEO Jordi Martorell, CTO Noemí Balà, CSO Salvador Borrós, and CMO Vicenç Riambau.
The founders share their origin story: “Jordi, Noemí, and Salvador are PhD-holding chemists and chemical engineers from the IQS School of Engineering in Barcelona. Jordi conceived the idea and built the team, starting with Noemí, who developed the patch during her thesis under Salvador and Jordi’s co-direction. Salvador pioneered the use of biomaterials in medical applications. Vicenç Riambau, Head of Vascular Surgery at Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, has guided the design to meet surgical requirements, conducted initial tests, and will lead the first human trials.”
The intellectual property encompasses the catheter, the deploying hardware, and the patch itself. The bioresorbable patch is created using electrospinning, the same process spiders use to weave their webs. This results in a controlled, viscoelastic, and biocompatible material.
Regarding team diversity, the founders share: “There is one female co-founder on the team. Of 18 team members, the female/male gender balance is 10/8.”
Noemí Balà, CTO and female co-founder, notes, “As a female co-founder and CTO at Aortyx, working in cardiovascular healthtech has been challenging yet incredibly rewarding. Developing a medical device in this high-stakes field means navigating constant pressure, strict regulations, and long timelines — and as a woman in this space, I’ve repeatedly had to prove my capabilities.”
“My advice to other women in healthtech: trust your technical expertise, stay focused on the clinical need you’re addressing, and claim your space — even when you’re the only woman present. We need more diverse perspectives in medtech innovation to better serve our patients.”
Aortyx: a groundbreaking approach to treating aortic tears
The founders explain their technology: “Aortyx distinguishes itself through proprietary technology and materials. We’ve developed the deployment device and the patch for sealing aortic tears. Our patch’s unique biomechanical properties ensure complete integration with the aorta, restoring natural function to this vital artery through a minimally invasive catheter approach.
Unlike current treatments, which either replace the entire affected aortic section through aggressive open-heart surgery or redirect blood flow with stent grafts requiring multiple interventions, our patch restores aortic function. Naturally, it dissolves, leaving no foreign material behind.”
The main competitors are stent graft manufacturers: Gore, Cook, Terumo, Medtronic, and Artivion. Their solutions, often not specifically designed for aortic dissection, can cause mechanical mismatches or require repeated interventions.
The founders outline their plans: “Developing deeptech products is a long journey. Our next major milestone, supported by this funding round, is first-in-human testing within two years. We’ll conduct a multicentric study for FDA approval and CE mark. Once market-ready, we’ll scale and distribute our technology to surgeons and clinics worldwide.”
Aortyx’s minimally invasive technology, supported by a world-class team and leading investors, aims to transform aortic dissection care, offering hope for thousands of patients worldwide. Their device has undergone testing by over 30 key opinion leaders, including 18 of the world’s top 20 vascular surgeons, whose feedback has been crucial in refining the design.
