AccuPulse Medical Completes Over RMB 100 Million Pre-B Financing to Accelerate Domestic Substitution in Cardiac Electrophysiology

Text｜Hu Xiangyun

Editor｜Hai Ruojing

36Kr learned that AccuPulse Medical Technology Co., Ltd. has completed a Pre-B round of financing exceeding 100 million yuan. This round of financing was led by a fund under CICC Capital, with Vision Capital and well-known industry investors following the investment. StarBridge Capital served as the exclusive financial advisor. The funds raised will be mainly used to accelerate the research and development and commercialization of the company's pulsed electric field ablation system, three-dimensional mapping system, and a series of electrophysiology consumables.

The cardiovascular field is the second largest medical device market globally, and cardiac electrophysiology, as one of its important subfields, has experienced continuous growth for over 20 years. In the past nearly 30 years, radiofrequency ablation and cryoablation have remained the mainstream interventional treatment methods. These approaches use thermal or cold energy to ablate lesions in the heart that trigger abnormal electrical signals, thereby restoring normal heart rhythm. However, both traditional energy modalities are non-selective in terms of tissue, which may also damage surrounding tissues such as the esophagus and phrenic nerve while ablating lesion tissues.

In recent years, the emergence of a new generation of non-thermal ablation technology, pulsed field ablation (PFA), has the potential to solve this problem. It selectively targets myocardial cells through high-voltage pulsed electric fields without causing damage to adjacent nerves, blood vessels, and other structures, thus becoming a focus of global medical device companies.

In 2020, AccuPulse was founded under this background, focusing on the R&D of platform-based innovative technologies in the field of cardiac electrophysiology. Currently, AccuPulse has built a full-process product matrix covering "3D equipment + consumables" required in the cardiac electrophysiology field. By 2025, four ablation products under the company, including the PFA ablation console, will be successively approved for marketing.

"The ablation system and the three-dimensional mapping system are the core of the electrophysiology field. Based on our ablation product line, our three-dimensional mapping system has also advanced to the registration study phase and received ethical approval. We will soon be able to use our own mapping system in conjunction with the PFA catheter for surgeries, which will further support future commercialization," said the founder of AccuPulse Medical Technology Co., Ltd.

First, let's look at the ablation system. The founder of AccuPulse Medical introduced that, at the initial stage of the design, the company had already considered the compatibility issues between the product and the 3D mapping system. Therefore, a circular design was adopted. To accommodate different pulmonary vein structures, a variable loop diameter design was also employed.

To ensure better contact between the catheter and the heart wall, AccuPulse has also developed a specialized intelligent algorithm for monitoring and evaluating the catheter's contact status. "The pulsed electric field energy has a fixed diameter range, and the ablation depth is also somewhat limited. The better the contact with the heart wall, the more thorough the transmural ablation and the better the ablation effect. To achieve this, in the absence of a 3D mapping system, we independently developed an ablation contact index. With this feature, doctors can see the catheter’s contact status in real-time during ablation to determine whether it is in good contact and quantify the contact through numerical values."

At the same time, the ablation effect also depends on the energy release protocol, the core of which is a combination of parameters such as voltage, pulse width, and waveform. Different discharge modes have a significant impact on the ablation depth and uniformity. Therefore, the energy formulation has also become the core "technical secret" of various PFA companies. "The energy we release involves more than 50 parameters, and we are continuously improving and optimizing them to achieve better results."

Data provided by AccuPulse Medical claims that the company’s PFA system achieves a 100% immediate pulmonary vein isolation rate during procedures, with a 12-month follow-up success rate of 87.7%.

In addition, in terms of 3D mapping systems, AccuPulse has independently developed the third-generation 3D mapping system and created an AI-driven intelligent 3D mapping solution. The founder of AccuPulse explained that the 3D mapping system generates a massive amount of data during the diagnostic process, with "hundreds of thousands of electrical signal points collected in just a two or three-hour surgery." Moreover, doctors follow fixed protocols and procedures during operations, which naturally aligns with AI technology.

According to the introduction, relying on massive surgical data, the main roles AI can play are as follows: First, AI has certain advantages in processing tiny electrical signals because it can identify and amplify extremely weak electrical signals, which are often precursors to the onset of atrial fibrillation. Second, AI assistance is expected to simplify surgical procedures, reduce doctors' reliance on equipment manufacturers' field engineers, and lower hospital labor costs.

Currently, AccuPulse Medical Technology Co., Ltd. has applied for the patent "Method, Apparatus, and Electronic Device for Three-Dimensional Cardiac Mapping and Reconstruction," which provides a more accurate three-dimensional cardiac model through the registration of a cardiac 3D model based on a neural network algorithm.

It is also reported that in the first year of commercialization in 2025, AccuPulse Medical Technology Co., Ltd. has achieved tens of millions of yuan in revenue. The company's PFA products have been applied in nearly a hundred hospitals across China and won the bid for the centralized volume-based procurement of electrophysiology medical consumables in Beijing in the same year. "The Beijing procurement initiative has, to a certain extent, helped us address hospital access issues, and related medical insurance and procedural pricing policies are relatively well-established. Currently, the surgical volume in the Beijing area accounts for the largest share of the company's total surgical volume nationwide."

Investor's Perspective:

CICC Capital team stated that the PFA market has broad prospects and has gradually become one of the mainstream therapies in the field of cardiac electrophysiology. The unique variable loop design of AccuPulse's PFA product can adapt to various clinical scenarios, with a leading 12-month follow-up effectiveness rate in the industry. The company’s self-developed three-dimensional mapping system combines magnetic, electrical, and ultrasound technologies, offering multiple advantages such as precise positioning, strong compatibility, and great scalability potential. We are willing to work with AccuPulse to promote the import substitution process in China’s cardiac electrophysiology treatment industry, benefiting more patients.

Tian Min, medical partner of Vision Capital, stated: "We are optimistic about the market opportunities and patient benefits brought by the technological transformation of pulsed field ablation (PFA). AccuPulse has made continuous investments and demonstrated a deep understanding in PFA ablation systems, 3D mapping systems, and electrophysiology consumables. We recognize AccuPulse's ability to continuously develop a leading product portfolio in this field while further consolidating comprehensive advantages. We also look forward to creating more value for patients and doctors."

Wu Zhipeng from Star Bridge Capital stated, "We are highly honored to assist AccuPulse Medical in completing this round of financing. The cardiac electrophysiology sector has seen rapid growth in recent years, with significant demand for China-produced alternatives. Leveraging international R&D capabilities and strategic planning, as well as outstanding product performance, the company is developing an AI-driven 3D + PFA intelligent solution as its overall pipeline progressively obtains regulatory approvals. We firmly believe that this financing will further advance the company’s R&D and commercial development, continuously leading industry transformation and technological innovation."