Maurice R. Ferré’s firm making ‘humanoid’-like surgery robots acquired for $1B value
That makes three unicorns.
Dr. Maurice R. Ferré has helped mint the third $1 billion company with the announcement Friday that Memic, a robotic surgery company that he chairs, has been acquired by a special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, at a 10-figure valuation.
Memic was founded in 2013 and is based in Tel Aviv with a wholly owned subsidiary based in Fort Lauderdale. Its Hominis platform, according to a press release, is the only FDA-authorized surgical robot that features miniature “humanoid-shaped” arms, with shoulder, elbow and wrist joints, providing human level dexterity and 360-degree articulation.
Ferré, the son of former Miami Mayor Maurice A. Ferré, is also CEO and chairman of INSIGHTEC, an incisionless surgery company, which earned a billion-dollar valuation in March 2020. And he is co-founder of MAKO Surgical, which became South Florida’s first tech unicorn of the 21st century when it was acquired by Stryker in 2013.
For South Florida, Memic’s acquisition will mean more jobs, Ferré said Friday, as a medical technology ecosystem that now includes multiple companies founded by MAKO veterans continue to grow. In an interview, Ferré said Memic intends to hire 100 employees over the next year and some 250 over the next three.
“Memic has the potential to be as big as MAKO,” Ferré said. “It shows companies can be financed here in South Florida — that’s a really important message. You don’t have to be in Boston or San Francisco anymore. And we’re recruiting the talent to come here.”
This story was originally published August 13, 2021 at 11:31 AM with the headline "Maurice R. Ferré’s firm making ‘humanoid’-like surgery robots acquired for $1B value."
