Alesi Surgical secures £7m to remove surgical smoke using electrostatic precipitation
This article covers Alesi Surgical, a healthtech startup, which has raised £7m in a growth funding round to accelerate international commercial expansion and further develop its Ultravision2 platform. The funding aims to support hospital adoption of its smoke-control technology and advance product development as regulation around surgical smoke tightens.
Alesi Surgical, a healthtech startup developing systems to remove surgical smoke in operating theatres, has raised £7m in a growth funding round to accelerate international commercial expansion and further development of its Ultravision2 platform as regulation around smoke control tightens.
Why it matters
Surgical smoke is produced in around 90% of procedures worldwide, with an estimated 266 million procedures each year. While most of that plume is water vapour, small proportions can carry viable viruses, bacteria and chemical by-products that create infection risks and potential long-term toxicity for theatre teams. As regulators move to tighten standards for smoke control, hospitals face pressure to adopt solutions that both protect staff and fit within busy surgical workflows.
Inside the product
Alesi’s Ultravision technology uses electrostatic precipitation to remove smoke at source, instead of relying on suction and filtration systems that can be bulky and disruptive. The company says its first-generation Ultravision System has been used in more than 50,000 laparoscopic and robotic procedures across Europe, the US and Japan, and cites independent studies showing it clears smoke from the atmosphere up to 225 times faster than competing technologies in laparoscopic surgery.
The system also allows surgeons to operate at lower abdominal pressure, which Alesi says can reduce CO₂ usage by up to 82% while maintaining a clear surgical field. The Ultravision2 System has regulatory clearance for use in both minimally invasive and open procedures and holds FDA and CE markings. Alesi positions Ultravision2 as a quieter, less obtrusive alternative that integrates smoke management with surgical tools used for tissue dissection.
Who are the investors?
The £7m round is led by IW Capital, with participation from IP Group and Mercia Ventures.
The financing is earmarked for international commercial expansion and further development of the Ultravision2 platform as regulatory and compliance tailwinds — particularly in the US — push hospitals to invest in smoke-control solutions. IP Group and Mercia Ventures are both active investors in medtech and life-science ventures, bringing capital and commercial experience to support clinical adoption and scaling.
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Founder perspective
In the announcement, Dominic Griffiths, Founder & CEO at Alesi Surgical, said:
Surgical smoke is becoming an increasingly important priority for hospitals with a need to address both visibility and safety in the operating room, supported by growing regulatory and compliance tailwinds. Solutions that integrate seamlessly into surgical workflows will define the next phase of adoption. Alesi Surgical offers a fundamentally different approach to smoke management that addresses the problem at its source. As the industry moves toward smoke-free operating theatres becoming the norm, Ultravision2 is well positioned to play a key role.
The bigger picture
Electrosurgical tools are central to modern minimally invasive and robotic procedures but they generate smoke that affects visibility and efficiency and poses occupational hazards. Historically, adoption of smoke management has been slow because many solutions required trade-offs between effectiveness and workflow disruption. The combination of clearer clinical evidence, device approvals and tightening regulation — in the US where roughly 20 states have enacted related laws — is changing that calculus.
The Alesi deal reflects growing interest from healthtech investors in devices that reduce risks to theatre staff while supporting the next generation of minimally invasive surgery.
The funding will test whether Ultravision2 can convert regulatory momentum into routine procurement in hospitals across the UK, Europe and beyond. If successful, it would be another example of UK-founded medtech scaling through a mix of clinical data, regulatory clearance and targeted commercial partnerships.
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