Stryker invests US$400M in CMR Surgical to expand Versius Robotics in US

USA—Stryker has invested US$400 million in UK-based CMR Surgical to expand US sales of its Versius robotic surgery platform, strengthening its position in soft-tissue robotics and securing an option to acquire the company in the future.

Under the agreement announced on 12 October, Stryker will become the exclusive US sales agent for the Versius portfolio.

CMR Surgical will continue to develop its products and manage commercialisation in markets outside the US.

The investment agreement does not disclose Stryker’s resulting equity stake in the privately held company.

The deal gives Stryker a route into the soft-tissue surgical robotics market, extending its existing capabilities in endoscopy, visualisation and enabling technologies.

It also provides CMR with access to Stryker’s US commercial network as it seeks to expand adoption of its robotic systems.

Versius platform targets wider surgical adoption

CMR’s Versius system features a modular design intended to accommodate different procedures and healthcare settings, including hospitals and ambulatory surgery centres (ASCs).

The company first secured European regulatory approval for the platform in 2019 and has since expanded its authorisations across markets in Asia-Pacific and the Americas.

Its second-generation system, Versius Plus, received US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance in December 2025 for gallbladder removal.

In other markets, including Europe, the platform is authorised for additional soft-tissue procedures, such as colorectal and urological surgery.

Andy Pierce, Stryker’s group president for MedSurg and Neurotechnology, described soft-tissue robotics as a high-growth adjacent market and a natural extension of the company’s existing portfolio.

He said Stryker had assessed the segment for several years and selected CMR because the partnership could help healthcare providers expand robotic-assisted surgery across a broader range of procedures.

The agreement also gives Stryker an exclusive option to acquire CMR’s remaining equity in the future.

The companies have not disclosed the option’s financial terms or the conditions governing a potential acquisition.

Competition intensifies in surgical robotics

The partnership brings Stryker into closer competition with established surgical robotics suppliers, particularly Intuitive, the developer of the da Vinci surgical system.

According to GlobalData market modelling, Intuitive held 48.8% of the US robotic surgical systems market in 2025, compared with Stryker’s 19.5%.

Stryker, however, held an estimated 80.6% share of the general surgery robotic surgical systems market and led the orthopaedic robotics segment with 75.5%, ahead of Zimmer Biomet at 10.4%.

Stryker announced the agreement before the US market opened on 12 October.

Its Nasdaq-listed shares rose approximately 1% during morning trading to US$280.10 at 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time, from US$277.33 previously, giving the company a market capitalisation of US$107.48 billion.

Andrew Williamson, managing partner at Cambridge Innovation Capital, CMR’s largest UK investor, said the investment demonstrated the potential of British medical technology companies to expand internationally.

He added that the partnership would support CMR’s US growth while creating opportunities to increase sales in Europe and Asia.

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