(Yicai) Sept. 2 -- Global medical device giant Medtronic is investing about USD700 million in Chinese surgical robot startup Cornerstone Robotics in a strategic partnership that will take the Hong Kong-based firm’s surgical robots to more overseas markets.

Under the partnership, Medtronic will gain the rights to distribute Cornerstone’s Sentire surgical system in select markets outside the United States where the system has regulatory approval, the two companies announced separately yesterday.

Founded in 2019, Cornerstone has established a 30,000-square-meter manufacturing facility in China. Its core product, Sentire, a robotic system used to perform minimally invasive general, gynecologic, thoracic, and urologic surgeries, received Chinese regulatory approval in 2024 and gained the CE Mark in the European Union and approval in Singapore in May this year.

Under the partnership, Medtronic will distribute Sentire alongside its Hugo robotic-assisted surgery system, which is used in more than 35 countries. The companies will build a multi-port portfolio based on the two platforms, giving customers greater flexibility across clinical settings, procedural needs, and economic models.

With the global adoption of robotic-assisted surgery still in the single digits, there is significant potential to make advanced surgical care accessible to more patients, physicians, and healthcare systems worldwide, Cornerstone said. Medtronic’s extensive global presence will help Cornerstone scale its technology and reach more patients, it added.

Medtronic has more than 95,000 employees across over 150 countries. The company reported USD1.5 billion in net income attributable to Medtronic and USD9.8 billion in revenue for the quarter ended July 31, up 41 percent and 14 percent from a year earlier, respectively, according to its financial results released yesterday.

Editor: Emmi Laine