Globally, the number of obesity cases is rising increasingly. Often, surgery or long-term medication is the only treatment method. This is precisely where the Munich medtech startup Sedivention comes in. At the center of the technology is a cryo-balloon catheter. In simple terms, the technology aims to permanently reduce hunger by targeted cold treatment of the gastric branches of the vagus nerve.
The advantage of this method is that patients can avoid risky measures such as surgery, implants, or the mandatory long-term intake of medications. Behind this lies a multi-billion-euro market that faces increasing economic and medical pressure in light of rising global obesity rates.
Cryoablation instead of bariatric surgery
Sedivention’s distinctive approach lies in the combination of minimally invasive intervention and long-term efficacy. While established procedures such as bariatric surgery are invasive and medications often need to be taken long-term, the company relies on a one-time interventional treatment.
The technology is based on a specially developed cryo-balloon catheter that is deployed similarly to gastroscopy. Through targeted cryotherapy and freezing, also called cryoablation, the hunger-relevant gastric branches of the vagus nerve are to be interrupted. The goal is to directly address the disrupted hunger and satiation regulation and sustainably reduce the sensation of hunger.
“Obesity is a chronic disease that requires medically effective yet gentle therapies,”
says Dr. Ute Nollert, founder and Chief Medical Officer of Sedivention, and continues:
“Our approach directly addresses the underlying disruption of hunger and satiation regulation and enables sustainable reduction of the sensation of hunger – without surgery, without implants, and without lifelong medication.”
Obesity as a global multi-billion-euro market
According to the World Obesity Federation, more than one billion people worldwide could be affected by obesity by 2030. At the same time, the health-economic follow-up costs are estimated at up to €3.4 trillion annually.
Sedivention is thus positioning itself in a market currently dominated by GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic or Wegovy. While these therapies are considered effective, they are cost-intensive and often designed for long-term use.
Sedivention, by contrast, pursues an interventional medtech approach with one-time treatment. According to CEO and co-founder Dr. Andreas Bröcker, the technology was designed from the outset for international scaling:
“We are developing a proprietary medtech solution with the potential to redefine a global multi-billion-euro market through a scalable, outpatient treatment.”
Seed round funds product completion and clinical development
The seed funding is led by bmp Ventures with the IBG Fonds. In addition, the High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), Cambridge Ventures, superangels, and the strategic investment arm of a global medtech company are participating.
With the seed funding, Sedivention plans to complete product development, conduct the first-in-human study, and prepare further clinical and regulatory steps. According to the company, a functional prototype has already been successfully developed and tested.
“Sedivention combines medical evidence with a clearly scalable and cost-efficient medtech approach,”
says Jan Engels, Senior Investment Manager at HTGF.
bmp Ventures also sees significant market potential.
“Sedivention is developing an innovative and compelling medtech technology to sustainably redefine obesity therapy,”
says Investment Manager Carlos Figueredo.
Outpatient procedures to replace invasive interventions
In the long term, Sedivention aims to replace highly invasive surgical procedures with outpatient interventional procedures. In doing so, the company addresses not only medical care gaps but also the scalability of obesity treatments in healthcare systems with limited resources.
The upcoming clinical trials will be crucial in determining whether the approach can actually demonstrate the hoped-for long-term efficacy. If successful, Sedivention could benefit significantly from the growing demand for alternative obesity therapies.
