Stryker has agreed to invest approximately $400 million (£300 million) in Cambridge-based surgical robotics developer CMR Surgical, alongside an exclusive US sales agency agreement for the Versius portfolio. The proposed preferred equity investment includes an option to acquire the remaining equity in CMR, but neither the investment nor a subsequent acquisition has been completed. The transaction, announced on 12 October, is subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.
Under the alliance, Stryker would use its US commercial network to sell Versius, while CMR would continue developing the technology and managing commercial operations outside the United States. The sales arrangement is separate from the equity transaction, leaving CMR responsible for developing the platform and managing its other markets.
Founded in 2014, CMR developed Versius as a modular robotic system for minimally invasive surgery. Its instrument arms are mounted on separate bedside units that can be arranged around an operating table according to the procedure and available space. The surgeon controls the instruments and endoscopic view from an open console, while the bedside team remains responsible for patient-side activity. The modular configuration is an existing feature of Versius, rather than a change introduced by the investment.
CMR’s second-generation Versius Plus platform received US Food and Drug Administration 510(k) clearance on 16 December 2025, under submission K252111. The cleared indication covers cholecystectomy in patients aged 22 and over who are eligible for minimally invasive soft-tissue surgery. CMR submitted a further application in April 2026 for benign gynaecological procedures, including hysterectomy, oophorectomy and salpingectomy. That request is separate from the clearance already granted, and no expanded authorisation is established by the October agreement.
CMR reported in March 2026 that Versius systems had been used to treat more than 45,000 patients worldwide. The figure describes accumulated international experience across the company’s installed systems, not US use of Versius Plus. Stryker’s proposed sales role would bring the technology into its existing domestic hospital relationships as CMR seeks to develop the US market within the applicable regulatory indications.
The companies say the preferred equity investment would support further development and international commercialisation of the Versius portfolio. Stryker group president Andy Pierce is expected to join CMR’s board. The planned board appointment would accompany the new commercial relationship once the conditional investment is completed.
