Okami Medical Secures $45M Oversubscribed Financing and Appoints Former Inari Medical CEO Drew Hykes as President and CEO

Nov 20, 2025 22:10 CST Updated 22:10

Okami Medical

Medical Device Developer

Okami MedicalAnnounced the completion of a new round of $45 millionExcessFinancing: This round of financing was led by Gilde Healthcare, with existing investors such as Vensana Capital and U.S. Venture Partners following up. The funds will be used to expand the company’s commercial layout and advance clinical projects. Additionally, ongoing support will be provided for the innovative development of the company's multifunctional intelligent peripheral vascular closure devices.

Okami MedicalIn addition to completing large-scale financing, important talent acquisition was also achieved.Former Chief Executive of Inari MedicalOfficialDrew Hykes Appointed asOkami MedicalPresident and Chief Executive Officer

Drew Hykes Resume

Drew Hykes is a seasoned medical device operations executive with extensive cross-functional, cross-regional, and multi-disciplinary experience. Before joining Okami Medical, he served as the Chief Executive Officer of Inari Medical from 2023 to 2025, during which he led the company to be acquired by Stryker for $5 billion. From 2020 to 2022, he held the position of Chief Operating Officer at Inari Medical, overseeing daily business operations, and from 2017 to 2019, he served as the Chief Commercial Officer.

Upon joiningInari MedicalPreviously,From 2012 to 2016, served as Vice President of Commercial Operations at Sequent Medical, leading the commercialization strategy for the WEB Aneurysm Embolization System from early prototype to widespread adoption in the European market.Sequent MedicalIn July 2016, it was acquired by Terumo for $380 million. Prior to that, he worked at Medtronic for eleven years, serving as Vice President of Marketing for the Atrial Fibrillation Solutions business, Vice President of Clinical and Regulatory Affairs for the Atrial Fibrillation Solutions business, and Director of Investor Relations, among other positions. During this time, he was stationed in Europe for three years, leading the launch of Medtronic's first drug-eluting coronary stent.

Drew Hykes' Reflection

"Joining the Okami team fills me with great honor. The clinical performance and adaptability of the LOBO Vascular Closure Device across various vascular anatomies have deeply impressed me. I look forward to working with this outstanding team to accelerate commercial expansion, advance the innovative R&D pipeline, and bring this vital technology to more doctors and patients."

Investor Evaluation

"We have been following Okami for many years, and its technical strength and market potential are impressive. After the successful cooperation with Inari, we are very pleased to partner again with Drew Hykes and collaborate with an experienced consortium. We believe that Okami's LOBO platform has the potential to revolutionize treatment methods and significantly improve patient outcomes with urgent unmet needs."

---Geoff Pardo General Partner of Gilde Healthcare

LOBO

LOBOIt is a low-profile vascular closure device, throughSENDERO MicrocatheterCan navigate smoothly in peripheral blood vessels.LOBOUpon reaching the target location, it will self-expand to adapt to the shape of the target vessel, including curved vessels.LOBOManufactured using HDBRAID technology, it provides a dense pore structure across the vascular lumen to quickly reduce blood flow and accelerate hemostasis. The multi-disc design enhances the occlusion effect of HDBRAID technology, laying the foundation for effective treatment; the one-touch mechanical detachment mechanism allows the occluder to be precisely and instantly released at the target location.

LOBOCompared with traditional occluders, it has better performance due to the adoption of proprietary HDBRAID technology, an innovative and unique braiding method specifically developed for manufacturing vascular occlusion devices. Using this method, braided devices can be made with wires less than 20 microns in diameter — only 1/4 the thickness of a human hair.

LOBO Advantages

HDBRAID Technology: Compared with other braiding methods, the pore density is 4 times higher and the pores are smaller; the top-class pore structure can significantly reduce flow, thereby accelerating hemostasis and thrombosis; more than 5000 pores allow rapid and consistent blockage through a single device; highly stable after placement; no spinnaker effect.

Multi-functional Design:Three-disk design enhances the shielding effect of HDBRAID technology; excellent trackability in small and tortuous vessels; highly efficient occlusion capability adaptable to various curved vessels.

User-Friendly:Compatible with 0.027-inch microcatheters; capable of occluding vessels as small as 1.5mm and as large as 9mm; radiopaque marker bands for visualization, retrievable; advanced instantaneous mechanical detachment.

LOBO Demonstration

Okami Medical

Okami MedicalOkami Medical, Inc. is a private medical device company whose mission is to meet the evolving needs of patients and doctors by developing innovative, versatile, and intuitive peripheral vascular occlusion devices. Okami has designed the LOBO Vascular Occluder, enabling physicians to access and rapidly occlude various vascular targets.