Precisis: "We underestimated the market power of the pharmaceutical industry"
What's the deal? Heidelberg-based medtech startup Precisis has raised €100M to date to develop a minimally invasive brain stimulation device for epilepsy patients. Founded in 2015 by Angela Liedler, the company has built an implant called EASEE that sits under the scalp and delivers tiny electrical pulses through the skull to suppress seizures at their point of origin — without damaging brain tissue.
Hundreds of patients in Germany, the UK, Switzerland, and Austria already use the device. The company now employs 45 people and is pushing into the US market.
Among its backers is CochlearDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, the Australian medtech giant known for implantable hearing solutions.
Why now? Precisis is at an inflection point. It recently won approval to run a clinical trial on children with epilepsy — a milestone made possible by strong safety and efficacy data from adult patients. The company expects EASEE therapy to be available for patients aged 12 and up by the end of 2027.
The US expansion signals that Precisis sees a far larger addressable market beyond Europe. Entering the American healthcare system, with its massive spending power and large epilepsy patient population, could transform the startup's growth trajectory.
What could go wrong? Liedler has been candid about a major obstacle: the pharmaceutical industry's grip on epilepsy treatment. "We underestimated the market power of the pharmaceutical industry," she told deutsche-startups.de. She noted that one in three epilepsy patients endures an average of 22 years on ineffective medication before a doctor suggests a modern alternative like surgery or a device.
Breaking through entrenched prescribing habits is a formidable challenge for a small startup. US regulatory approval adds another layer of complexity, cost, and time.
The signal: Cochlear's backing of Precisis is notable — the Australian medtech giant rarely invests in early-stage European startups, suggesting it sees transcranial brain stimulation as a credible adjacent technology to its core implantable devices business. With Precisis now at "breakout" stage according to Dealroom and pushing into the US, the company is testing whether a European neurotech startup can challenge pharma's entrenched hold on epilepsy treatment, a condition affecting roughly 50 million people worldwide.
Read more: deutsche-startups.de
