Enshiwei Completes Tens of Millions RMB Angel Financing to Accelerate Innovative Endoscopy Product Development

VCBeat has learned that Ensevi (Suzhou) Medical Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Ensevi”) has completed its angel financing round of tens of millions of yuan, led byYuanming Xin ZhaoyuanExclusive Investment. The funds from this round will be primarily used for clinical trials and product registration of the company’s single-use endoscope products, as well as R&D of SS-OCT endoscopes (Swept-Source Optical Coherence Tomography endoscopes).

Ensevi, founded in 2022, is a high-tech medical technology company integrating R&D, manufacturing, sales, and services. It focuses on creating comprehensive solutions, supporting equipment, and services for minimally invasive medicine. Guided by its mission to “alleviate patient suffering through minimally invasive visual technology,” Ensevi is committed to advancing the visualization and portability of endoscopic products, as well as the miniaturization and high-definition capabilities of camera modules. By continuously researching and innovating related medical devices, the company strives to elevate the level of endoscopic diagnosis and treatment in China.

In terms of team leadership, Zhu Chunming, Founder and CEO of Ensevi, has been deeply engaged in the medical field for many years and entered the endoscopy market two decades ago, demonstrating exceptional market acumen. Over ten years ago, he recognized the vast potential of the disposable endoscope market and strategically laid out product technology developments accordingly. In 2017, Zhu Chunming founded Century Minimally Invasive Medical Technology Co., Ltd., focusing on the innovative R&D of disposable endoscopes. To date, multiple products have obtained Class II medical device certificates, and its under-development disposable handheld hysteroscope has entered the stage of submission for clinical testing. In 2022, this project was merged into Ensevi.

Dr. Zhao Pengpeng, CTO, boasts extensive R&D experience and robust innovative capabilities. He currently serves as a Researcher at the Binjiang Institute of Zhejiang University. Dr. Zhao earned his Ph.D. in Micro-optics from the University of Freiburg in 2017. During his more than ten years at the University of Freiburg, he dedicated himself to the research and development of micro-optical devices and systems, enhancing the imaging performance of optical components and systems through improvements in imaging principles, core components, and complete system integration, thereby providing technical support for the advancement of optical imaging and precision medicine. 

Previously, the General Office of the State Council issued the “Guiding Opinions on Promoting the Healthy Development of the Pharmaceutical Industry,” which clearly stated that provisions of the Government Procurement Law must be strictly implemented. Where domestically produced drugs and medical devices meet the requirements, government procurement projects shall in principle procure domestic products. In 2021, clear stipulations were made regarding the proportion of imported products procured by hospitals, with a view to gradually raising the level of domestic equipment configuration in public medical institutions and basically forming a landscape of full competition between domestic and imported equipment.

In the endoscopy sector, the trend of domestic substitution is equally pronounced. Public data indicates that overseas giants have long monopolized the global market, holding over 90% of the market share worldwide and more than 95% in China. With the rise of Chinese endoscopy companies such as Ensevi (Suzhou) Medical Technology Co., Ltd., the localization of China’s endoscopy market will accelerate.

Furthermore, traditional optical endoscopes are costly, cumbersome to operate, and pose a risk of cross-infection when reused. Repeated cleaning and high-temperature, high-pressure sterilization also reduce their operational efficiency and effectiveness. Consequently, there is a clear trend toward developing low-cost, user-friendly, single-use endoscopes, with disposable endoscopes emerging as a new breakthrough point for industry development.

Taking hysteroscopy as an example, nearly 70 million patients with abnormal uterine bleeding and 56 million patients with infertility in China urgently require early screening, diagnosis, and treatment. However, traditional hysteroscopes are costly and cumbersome to operate, failing to meet the substantial demand in gynecological outpatient settings. Moreover, they pose a risk of cross-infection.

Addressing this significant clinical pain point, Ensevi’s disposable handheld hysteroscope offers a novel option for both clinicians and patients. The device’s factory-sterilized design substantially reduces the risk of cross-infection, while eliminating the need for hospitals to invest in costly endoscopic processor systems; precise examinations can be performed after simple assembly.

With an ultra-slim endoscope body measuring 4 mm in diameter, the device can be inserted into the human body through natural orifices, eliminating the need for cervical dilation surgery and anesthesia. This approach reduces surgical risks and avoids postoperative pain, enabling outpatient gynecological examinations that require no hospitalization—allowing patients to leave immediately after the exam. It significantly lowers surgical costs for both hospitals and patients and effectively alleviates pressure on hospital bed capacity.

In addition to disposable endoscopes, innovative optical coherence tomography (OCT) endoscopes have emerged on the market. OCT endoscopy is a novel optical biopsy technique that follows X-ray imaging, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and ultrasound imaging. OCT technology enables high-speed, high-resolution, non-invasive, real-time cross-sectional imaging of internal human organs. Currently, OCT has become the gold standard for ophthalmic diagnosis and holds significant clinical guidance value for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Compared with traditional time-domain and frequency-domain OCT technologies, the technology developed by Ensevi is the latest generation of swept-source SS-OCT technology, featuring high imaging speed, superior signal-to-noise ratio, and excellent phase stability.

Unlike the 360-degree side-scanning mechanism of OCT imaging probes currently on the market, Ensevi has developed an innovative product featuring a built-in miniaturized distal forward-scanning device. This technology enables real-time, high-resolution imaging of large areas of intraluminal tissues, such as those in the stomach and bladder, as well as structures 1–2 mm beneath the mucosa. With a resolution of up to 10 micrometers—more than 10 times higher than that of endoscopic ultrasound—this achievement represents an industry first.

Notably, the high resolution of SS-OCT offers distinct advantages in detecting subtle changes such as early tissue dysplasia and carcinogenesis: it enables the acquisition of morphological information from tissues that are difficult to detect or sample, representing a novel “non-invasive optical biopsy” technique for human body cavities.

By integrating SS-OCT technology with optical endoscopy, physicians can acquire not only optical images of tissue surfaces but also ultra-high-resolution cross-sectional images of tissues, which holds significant clinical value for pathological screening and preoperative planning.

Overall, China’s endoscopy market boasts broad prospects, with substantial room for import substitution and significant growth opportunities. Domestic companies such as Ensevi (Suzhou) Medical Technology Co., Ltd. are poised for rapid development, supported by favorable policies and other factors. Meanwhile, within the industry, Ensevi has secured an innovation advantage through its comprehensive strengths in team, technology, and products, and has strategically laid out next-generation innovative products, positioning itself for accelerated growth in the future.

Yuanming Xin Zhaoyuan Fund is an early-stage angel fund for medical devices under Yuanming Capital, focusing on innovative projects in the early-stage medical device sector. Its key areas of focus include cardiovascular, neurological, orthopedic, in vitro diagnostics, medical robotics, and high-end radiotherapy industries. The fund has offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou, and New York.

The team members possess extensive business experience and a proven track record in successful investments, focusing on early-stage innovative medical device projects with significant development potential and growth value. By integrating industrial resources both domestically and internationally, we deeply uncover the value of target companies and provide value-added services spanning product R&D validation, regulatory registration and clinical trials, and academic promotion. We cultivate the core advantage of “investment + management” to build a robust industrial ecosystem and resource network.