Early-stage health care companies developing breakthrough medical technologies were given some good news recently with the launch of a new accelerator program by Israel’s Arc Innovation aimed at giving startups a $250,000 cash injection. With a $10 million investment from Ilex Medical Ltd., the initiative is looking to empower early-stage companies by providing financial backing, expert guidance and a support network.

Vessi Medical Ltd. recently closed a series A financing round at $16.5 million for the advancement of its cryotherapy technology to treat non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). Vessi believes that its minimally invasive device can provide a therapeutic alternative to a transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) procedure, the current first line therapy to treat the disease.

Cagent Vascular Inc. secured more than $30 million in a series C fundraising round to increase availability of its Serranator PTA serration balloon catheters, which scores the endoluminal surface of arteries to enable greater expansion of obstructed vessels. A recent study demonstrated that Serranator also dramatically reduced elastic recoil, which could improve results of angioplasty in individuals with peripheral artery disease (PAD).

The €173 million (US$187 million) in capital that Earlybird Health recently raked in from investors will go towards bolstering investment in European health care startups, many of which are still recovering from the impact of COVID-19, Thom Rasche, a partner at Earlybird Health, told BioWorld. The fund is looking to invest in the technologies that can improve patient care.

Reprieve Cardiovascular Inc. landed $42 million in its first fundraising round out of stealth to fund development of its acute decompensated heart failure treatment. The series A round will support clinical and development programs, including the ongoing FASTR trial and Reprieve’s upcoming pivotal trial.

The slow pace of financing in med-tech appears to have stimulated cardiac arrhythmia technology developer Adagio Medical Inc. to turn to a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) in a type of deal that has all but vanished in the last year. The company signed an agreement with Arya Sciences Acquisition Corp. IV to combine in a reverse merger deal that will result in Adagio’s listing on Nasdaq under “ADGM.”

If Freenome Holdings Inc.’s $254 million funding round is a sign, the capital markets for med-tech may finally be thawing. The cancer diagnostics company’s latest cash infusion brings its total funds raised to date to more than $1.3 billion. Freenome co-founder and Chief Product Officer Riley Ennis told BioWorld the company’s success in raising cash in a challenging market was attributable to the “perfect storm of huge unmet need and the opportunity that we have, given the treatment advancements.”