Forerunner Medical

About Forerunner Medical

Forerunner Medical, officially known as Shanghai Forerunner Medical Technology Co., Ltd., is a medical device company established in Shanghai in 2015. The company focuses on the development and commercialization of solutions for structural heart diseases, a specialization deeply rooted in the background of its founder, Mr. Zhao Xiancheng. Mr. Zhao holds a master's degree in biomedical engineering from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and has accumulated extensive experience in the field through his previous roles, including a senior position at MicroPort Medical.

The firm operates within the high-potential transcatheter valve replacement market, targeting a significant patient population in China suffering from conditions like aortic stenosis and mitral and tricuspid regurgitation. Forerunner Medical's core business revolves around creating minimally invasive therapeutic products to address these valvular heart issues. Its primary business model involves the research and development, manufacturing, and subsequent sale of these medical devices to hospitals and cardiac centers.

A key product in Forerunner's portfolio is the AltaValve™, a transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) system. This system is designed as a less invasive alternative to open-heart surgery for patients with severe mitral regurgitation. Another significant product is the Acuros Valve, a self-expanding transcatheter aortic valve and delivery system intended for treating severe aortic stenosis. The company has achieved several milestones, including raising approximately 50 million yuan in a Series B financing round in 2018 and securing nearly 100 million yuan in a Series C round in 2020 to advance its clinical trials and product pipeline.