Rhovica being one of the three winners of the Ypsomed Innovation Award
Rhovica is one of 3 winners of the Ypsomed Innovation Award 2026 for its SoNav™ technology, alongside Visienco AG and Optohive.
Supported by
ABOUT RHOVICA
Transforming blind neurosurgery into guided precision
No visibility
Clinicians treating brain emergencies, such as severe trauma or brain bleeding, need to act quickly and precisely. Without direct imaging, they rely on pre-acquired CT scans to guide procedures, images that become unreliable intraoperatively, as brain shift may alter the anatomy any time.
Monitoring brain activity via CT scans also exposes critically ill patients to ionizing radiation, transport risks and generates avoidable costs.
Our technology
Rhovica’s instrument-embedded technology is able to continuously capture live data from inside the brain, delivering real-time imaging of the brain without any external imaging equipment.
Patented IP
Rhovica’s core technology is protected by several patent families. The intellectual property is fully owned by Rhovica Neuoimaging AG, providing a strong foundation for defensible market positioning.
SoNav®
External Ventricular Drain (EVD) placement is on of the most basic and often performed neurosurgical procedures and can be life-saving. Freehand bedside EVD placement relies solely anatomical landmarks with up to 28% misplacement rate, multiple passes and risk of hemorrhage.
SoNav™ is an innovative EVD catheter equipped with integrated miniaturized ultrasound sensors providing real-time visualization of brain ventricule directly at the patient’s bedside.
Our novel EVD catheter SoNav™ allows a fast and secure placement of external ventricular drains as well as real-time monitoring after insertion for elevated ICP emergencies.
TESTIMONIALS
Supported by leading neurosurgeons
The SoNav-System from Rhovica Neuroimaging will finally solve the two major problems that are associated with the current external ventricular drains, leading to better patient outcomes.
Prof. Dr. med. David Bervini, MAdvSurg
Neurosurgeon at the University Hospital Bern (Inselspital)
TEAM
Dr. med. Martin Hlavica
Neurosurgeon, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Board-certified neurosurgeon with 500+ neurosurgical interventions, completing residency in University Hospitals Zurich and Inselspital Bern, driven by evidence-based medicine, (co-)author of >20 publications in peer-reviewed journals and speaker at international congresses. Ambitious to make an impact in patient’s treatment with high interest in business creation and economics.
Blair Fraser, BSc
Chief Business Officer (CBO)
Blair has over 35 years of global medical device experience and serves as Chief Business Officer. He is skilled in a wide range of corporate functions, including general management, global evidence-based marketing, strategic analysis and planning, mergers, acquisitions and strategic alliances, and scientific and medical affairs. He has experience of start-up, rapid growth, and established MedTech companies, with a proven track record of new market identification, penetration with new technologies, KOL network building, and sustainably increasing market share.
Dr. med. univ. Thomas Rhomberg
Neurosurgeon, Co-Founder & Chief Medical Officer (CMO)
Thomas Rhomberg is the company`s co-founder and board-certified Neurosurgeon currently working as an attending Neurosurgeon in Austria. He completed his MD from the Medical University of Innsbruck with a research exchange at the Harvard Medical School. Previous parts of his neurosurgical were completed at the University Hospital of Bern (Inselspital) and the Kantonsspital St. Gallen. He is driven by the desire to translate the latest technology into improved patient care.
Saeid Kasiri, PhD
Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
Engineer by training, Saeid has over 15 years of R&D experience in leading and developing Class II/III medical devices, including active, implantable, and catheter-based technologies. He has dedicated most of his career to startups and SMEs, with a successful track record of leading cross-functional teams, design control, and risk management. Saeid translates unmet clinical needs into innovative and effective design solutions.
Nicolas Guggenheim, PhD
Business Advisor
Professor Andreas Raabe, MD, PhD
Clinical Advisor
NEWS
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