The Finnish medtech startup will pursue FDA clearance and scale its fluorescence-guided tumour detection tool in Europe and beyond.
Marginum, a Finland-based medtech startup, has secured €2.5 million in Pre-Series A funding to accelerate the market expansion of its flagship product, HIVEN®, a fluorescence-based tissue monitoring device designed for safer brain tumour surgery.
The round was led by Nostetta Ventures, with participation from Redstone, Almaral, Lynx Financial, private medical investors, and support from Business Finland.
HIVEN® attaches to a surgical suction tube and provides real-time auditory feedback when fluorescent tumour cells are detected in aspirated tissue. Unlike conventional methods, the device works under standard surgical lighting, helping surgeons identify and remove tumours more completely while maintaining established workflows.
“This funding is a critical step toward bringing HIVEN® to surgeons and patients across Europe and the United States” said Marginum CEO Samu Lehtonen MD. “We are responding to an unmet clinical need and aim to make aspirate tissue monitoring a global standard in oncological surgery.”
Clinical use at Oslo, Tampere, and Kuopio University Hospitals has already shown promising results. The method stems from research led by docent and consultant neurosurgeon Antti-Pekka Elomaa at the University of Eastern Finland. Marginum expects EU marketing authorization in late 2025 and will launch sales in the Nordics with a distribution partner.
The global addressable market for fluorescence-based cancer surgery tools exceeds €2 billion annually, according to the company. Beyond brain tumours, applications could extend to ovarian, bladder, and liver cancers, with FDA reviewing dozens of new fluorescent drugs that could pair with the technology.
Nostetta Ventures CEO Noora Tuikka said Marginum’s technology could “reshape cancer surgery worldwide” adding: “We’re investing not only in a device, but in a new way of helping surgeons make better decisions through real-time data.”
The fresh capital will fund FDA clearance efforts, strategic hires, European expansion, and continued R&D as the company positions HIVEN® to become a standard in fluorescence-guided surgery.