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At the 2025 MedTech World conference in Malta, an insightful panel titled “It Takes a Family Office to Raise a Startup Child” convened leading family office investors and MedTech founders to share their unique perspectives on how family offices play a critical role in growing early-stage medical technology companies. The discussion focused on how family offices provide more than funding: they offer strategic direction, deep operational support, and patient capital aligned with long-term growth.
Laurent Pacheco, Managing Partner at International Family Office Alliance for Health, set the stage by emphasising his dedication to the European MedTech ecosystem. He underlined the significance of the sector’s size: “In Europe, we have about 35,000 to 40,000 small and mid-sized medical device companies, and collectively they employ 800,000 people. That’s even bigger than the Pharma industry.” He stressed how supporting these small and medium enterprises is crucial, particularly owing to the complexities around clinical development and regulatory costs startups face. He described his approach: “I started a MedTech specific CRO with a European focus after having about 15 years in the MedTech industry… I wanted to address that problem and I did it successfully.”
Maria Nyakern, Managing Partner at Nyakern Nexus Investments, talked about her preference towards the personalised nature of family offices compared to other investors and how family offices tailor their investment approaches to fit specific deal stages and investor preferences. She noted that seed-stage investments usually involve smaller check sizes, while later stages may require assembling SPVs to pool resources. Maria emphasied the importance of carefully selecting limited partners with relevant expertise to strengthen deal evaluation and support, and she pointed out that collaboration across family offices is a key tactic to diversify risk and enhance investment impact.
Omid Akhavan, Managing Director at Anthro Ventures, brought a perspective grounded in diversified investing with a strong MedTech focus. He contrasted family offices with traditional venture capital funds, stating tat a VC fund has a very specific mandate, “whereas as a family office, I’m very opportunistic… our number one rule is don’t lose money.” He emphasised the flexibility and long-term view family offices bring, adding that when they encounter particularly attractive opportunities, they may strategically “do some tax loss harvesting” or reinvest capital following liquidity events to optimise their portfolio’s performance.
Ivanny Franklin, Managing Partner of MedSight Capital, shared her unique multi-generational family office experience and the importance of deep diligence and expert collaboration. She explained the importance of carefully managing the deployment of capital among limited partners to avoid exceeding their investment capacity. Ivanny also emphasised heavily relying on expert advisors within her network to conduct thorough due diligence. Additionally, she stressed that the willingness of startup CEOs to be receptive and adaptable to guidance is a crucial factor for successful partnerships.
Dr. Ali Tinazli, CEO of lifespin GmbH, offered an operational view from leading startup and family office collaboration across continents. Reflecting on a family office in Munich that funded his startup fully, he remarked, “They basically bring the scientific, medical rigor into the whole thinking… This is a quite interesting unique setting that I really enjoy…” Combining US and European perspectives, he stressed the importance of credibility alongside capital in healthcare: “It’s very tough in healthcare. You need to bring all the credibility on the table. Just bringing money is not the key. You need to bring money plus credibility.”
The panellists discussed key challenges family offices face, including managing diverse LP expectations, balancing long-term patient capital against return horizons, and the pressure of personal responsibility in family investments. Franklin noted, “Sometimes I feel very personally responsible for that success of the deal… There are family dynamics involved.”
As the panellists concluded the session, Pacheco shared advice for entrepreneurs seeking family office capital: “Preparation is key. It goes beyond making a cute slide deck. Having your data room, checklists, and compliance documentation ready facilitates smoother discussions.” Tinazli concluded, “Understanding the complex MedTech market and having the right network matters sometimes more than just the investment amount.”
MedTech World continues to bring together innovators, regulators, clinicians, investors, and industry leaders contributing to the next decade of medical technology. If you would like to be part of upcoming global events, whether as an attendee, speaker, exhibitor, or partner, registration for MedTech World 2026 opportunities is now open.
Those interested in showcasing their work or expanding their network within the MedTech ecosystem can secure their place early by registering now.
