Category
- Band stories
Written by
Ian Choi (Senior Principal)
Date
Sep 25, 2025
Brain vascular surgery is still performed by hand, using extremely precise and risky techniques.
Performing vascular interventions involves threading a guidewire through the body's winding blood vessels via the thigh artery, then pushing and turning it until it reaches the precise location to remove a clot or insert a stent. This entire process requires real-time image interpretation, torque control, navigation through complex anatomical structures, and decision-making within seconds. Since even a small mistake can be life-threatening, even for neurosurgeons, " mastery" is a skill achieved only after years of repetitive training .
But then, a founder emerged who was determined to fundamentally change this desperate manual process . He was CEO Kim Yun-ho . He graduated from Seoul National University's Department of Mechanical Engineering and earned his doctorate from MIT. He was a researcher who spent his entire student years relentlessly pursuing surgical robotics technology.
A founder who started from a problem, not a technology
CEO Kim Yun-ho has been fascinated by robotics since middle and high school, and during his undergraduate years, he developed a particular interest in surgical robots. He personally visited Seoul National University Bundang Hospital and Asan Medical Center, interviewing neurosurgeons. Through this process, he discovered that it wasn't simply a field that machines could replace, but rather a field where human error and limitations could be precisely compensated for.
EVT (Endovascular Thrombectomy) , in particular , is a highly complex procedure requiring navigation through extremely narrow and tortuous cerebral blood vessels. Our goal is to make it possible for even junior doctors to perform it reliably. This is a more fundamental approach than automation. "Technology that makes people better" is CEO Kim Yun-ho's core technical philosophy.
Beyond technology, as one system
Magnendo's core technology is a magnetic guidewire . A polymer wire embedded with magnetic particles is remotely controlled by an external permanent magnet robotic arm. This allows for much more precise and faster targeting, even in cerebral blood vessels with complex angles and numerous branching points.
What's remarkable is that all of this is accomplished without AI . It's a strategy that avoids regulatory burdens and unpredictability, focusing on engineering perfection and practicality .
However, simply having a magnetic guidewire alone doesn't make robotic surgery possible. For a product to truly be meaningful, it must also include the software to control the robot, the actual robotic components that operate it, and various monitoring devices.
Magnendo's robotic platform is the result of years of research integrating three fields: soft materials, robotics, and navigation algorithms , and is a unique technology that cannot be easily imitated.
Leadership Based on Technology Philosophy
While many founders excel independently, few can build and execute exceptional teams. CEO Kim Yoon-ho has recruited co-founders such as Miki Rosenberg, who spent over a decade developing and commercializing surgical robots at Medtronic, and Aman Patel, who leads neurovascular intervention at MGH (Harvard Medical Center).
Despite being a young Asian entrepreneur with an MIT degree, he was able to persuade the world's top domain experts to join his team. This was not simply due to his technology, but rather his clear problem-solving skills and practical technology philosophy .
Rather than calling it a "Korean-led team," it would be more appropriate to call it a "global tech startup that is solidly operating in the US."
What we see in tech startups
As an investor, BASS Ventures doesn't just look at technology-based startups based on patents or academic papers.
What we're really looking for is a team that meets the following criteria:
•
The founder's consistent problem awareness and persistent execution
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Technology proven beyond papers through real-world experiments and user feedback
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Strategic sense from product development and licensing to market entry
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And above all, leadership that persuades and attracts people.
Magnendo is a textbook-like case for BASS Ventures.
While M&A before or after FDA approval is a possibility, CEO Kim Yun-ho is looking beyond that.
The tenacious dedication of engineers to change the world through technology is what drives this company.
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