Israeli healthtech startup ENvizion raises $18M funding to develop electromagnetic feeding tube placement devices

Each year, 27 million hospital patients worldwide are placed on a feeding tube for life-saving measures. But it might come as a surprise to learn that most feeding tubes are placed blindly resulting in 3-5% being placed in the lungs, which can lead to life-threatening conditions. ENvizion is a Tel Aviv, Israel-based startup that’s on a mission to changing all this. ENvizion has received FDA 510(k) clearance for enteral feeding tube (EFT) navigation technology.

Today, ENvizion announced it has raised $18 million for the ENvue system, its “Waze”-like tool for the human digestive tract. ENvizion’s device enables nurses to navigate the feeding tube with the help of a real-time 3D map of the patient’s actual body, and its sensor warns if the tube has veered towards the lungs. The investors include the Technion Venture Capital Fund, medtech backers, and family offices.

Founded in 2014, Envizion Medical develops electromagnetic feeding tube placement devices. Its ENvue™ Electromagnetic Feeding Tube Placement System, including nasoenteral feeding tubes, supports the rising clinical need for a safe and accurate feeding tube placement solution, contributing to patient health and improved healthcare. Cleared and indicated for use in the USA, the ENvue system features our proprietary electromagnetic placement technology.

Each year, nearly eight million feeding tubes are placed blindly inside patients in the United States for a variety of medical cases, but many of them are not placed with any sort of technical guidance. Blind placement can lead to a mistaken placement of the tube in the lungs, resulting potentially in pneumothorax, pneumonia, or even death. With a constant flow of hospitalized patients who require enteral feeding－especially during the COVID-19 pandemic for patients who require ventilators－the time-consuming nature of tube placement and immediate need for patient nutrition, and the limited resources hospitals have, Envizion is working together with various hospitals to minimize error and maximize enteral procedure efficiency.

Envizion is also partnering with one of the largest private hospital networks in the U.S. to bring the latest electromagnetic EFT placement devices to its 100+ hospitals. The importance of timely and effective feeding tube placement is increased when we include the influx of hospitalized COVID-19 patients, which makes ENvizion’s EFT navigation device essential for minimizing error and potentially saving lives.