Medical Unicorns Gallop to Miami?

Ceros lands in Miami with $ 100 million to fund medtech
The robotic surgery setup from Memic, a medical technology company based in Fort Lauderdale and Israel and chaired by Maurice R. Ferré.

By Patricia Pahl On May 15, 2021
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The robotic surgery setup from Memic, a medical technology company based in Fort Lauderdale and Israel, chaired by Maurice R. Ferré.

The robotic surgery setup from Memic, a medical technology company based in Fort Lauderdale and Israel, chaired by Maurice R. Ferré.

Memic

A stream of venture capital continues to flow to Miami.

The most recent addition is Ceros Financial Services, a financial advisory group that is raising $ 100 million over the next 12 months to fund emerging medical device companies in South Florida and beyond.

Ceros’ first investment is a name familiar to many in Miami’s medical device industry: Memic Innovative Surgery, a robotic surgery company based in Fort Lauderdale and Israel, chaired by Maurice R. Ferré. Ceros is making a $ 96 million investment in the company, which is expected to employ up to 200 people over the coming years.

“We believe it will be a unicorn,” said Mark Goldwasser, co-founder of Ceros, using the technical term to describe a company worth at least $ 1 billion.

Goldwasser, who is moving from New York to Miami, and business partner Chris Dewey were early investors in Mako Surgical, which Ferré co-founded. Mako, a pioneer in medical technology, was founded in 2013 by Stryker Corp. for $ 1.65 billion and helped spark the current wave of technical dynamism in Miami.

“South Florida has the geography and demographics to be the closest medtech hub,” Ferré, son of the former Miami mayor of the same name, said in a statement. He could not be reached for additional comment.

Ceros has already invested $ 65 million in companies over the past 14 months, including OrthoSensor from Dania Beach, whose device provides real-time data during knee surgeries. Miami-based dermal sensor that uses advanced technology to check skin lesions for cancer; and Ferré’s current company INSIGHTEC, which uses ultrasound technology for non-invasive brain surgery.

Goldwasser is looking for office space in Miami for the Ceros headquarters. He said Ceros is looking to capitalize on Miami’s burgeoning technology, financial and medical ecosystem in addition to its business-friendly climate and the fact that hospitals in the Miami area are “hungry” for growth and innovation.

“We’re seeing this big wave here for economic reasons, for lifestyle reasons. People my age, in their early 60s, are realizing they don’t have to be in New York anymore. All you need is a laptop, a tablet and a cell phone, ”said Goldwasser.

Goldwasser most recently ran National Holdings Corp., a New York-based parent company of several affiliated financial services companies.

Rob Wile covers business, technology, and economics in South Florida. He is a graduate of the Northwest Medill School of Journalism and Columbia University. He grew up in Chicago.