Overview
Description
About
Sunnyvale, 94086-5304, CA
United States
Latest press releases
SAN CARLOS, Calif., March 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Sonder Capital, a healthcare venture capital firm investing in companies revolutionizing the standard of care, today announced the closing of its second fund, Futures II.
The fund includes participation from Mayo Clinic and Sutter Health, reflecting their collective interest in innovative technologies that have the potential to advance the future of patient care by enhancing access, improving quality and transforming the overall patient experience.
"Through our second fund we'll continue enabling the next wave of companies and healthcare technologies reshaping medicine," said Kate Garrett, Managing Partner at Sonder Capital. "And through our collaboration with Mayo Clinic and Sutter Health, we're strengthening our ability to support portfolio companies with insights from frontline care delivery—helping founders ensure innovation directly translates into better patient care."
Futures II is anchored by an investment thesis focused on AI-enabled medical robotics and minimally invasive therapies, fueling companies creating entirely new care pathways and business models. The fund will back companies innovating in these categories to create new standards of care in distributed settings—shifting what can be treated, where it can be treated, and who can deliver it.
"Medical robotics has already transformed what's possible in the operating room—and we're now entering the next chapter," said Fred Moll, MD, Founding Partner at Sonder Capital. "The addition of AI is unlocking new levels of performance and automation across care pathways, accelerating a revolution that will benefit patients, clinicians, and health systems alike, around the world."
About Sonder Capital
Sonder's team of veteran investors, innovators, founder-operators, and company builders is known not only for their individual achievements, but also for their collective success in creating, funding, and leading private and public companies that have transformed healthcare for millions of patients globally — including Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ:ISRG), Guidant Corporation (NYSE: GDT), Shockwave Medical (NASDAQ:SWAV), Procept Biorobotics (NASDAQ:PRCT), Auris Health, and Reflexion Medical, among others. Sonder's extensive network of limited partners is global and includes industry leaders, high-net-worth individuals, and leading family offices focused on investing in game-changing healthcare companies. Sonder Capital was co-founded in 2019 by healthcare luminaries Jay Watkins and Fred Moll, MD.
For more information, visit:www.sondercapital.com
Media Contact:
Marisa Meehan
Director of Investor Relations
marisa@sondercapital.com
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sonder-capital-closes-its-second-fund-and-announces-participation-from-major-healthcare-systems-302722456.html
SOURCE Sonder Capital
Next-generation technology enhances precision, improves patient outcomes, and expands minimally invasive surgery across Long Beach, Fountain Valley and Laguna Hills.
FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., Sept. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- MemorialCare has expanded its robotic surgery capabilities across all its hospitals with the launch of the da Vinci 5® surgical system at Orange Coast Medical Center, Saddleback Medical Center, and Long Beach Medical Center. MemorialCare is among the first health systems in Southern California to adopt this technology, and the first to bring it to the Long Beach and Fountain Valley communities. This milestone reinforces MemorialCare's leadership in innovation and its commitment to re-investing in the community by delivering the most advanced, minimally invasive care options based on proven quality metrics.
"The da Vinci 5 is a game-changer for both surgeons and patients," said Liz Acord, vice president of clinical institutes at MemorialCare. "It offers greater control, better visualization, and streamlines workflow, all of which lead to better outcomes and an improved surgical experience."
The da Vinci 5 is Intuitive's most advanced robotic platform to date, offering surgeons enhanced precision, greater comfort, and expanded capabilities for complex procedures—all of which contribute to better patient outcomes and a more streamlined surgical experience.
With 10,000 times more computing power than its predecessor, the da Vinci 5 supports real-time feedback, complex tasks, and integration with digital tools that enhance surgical precision, training, and analytics. These features ensure MemorialCare remains at the forefront of surgical innovation.
Long Beach Medical Center exemplifies this commitment—it has served as a Case Observation Site for robotic thoracic procedures since 2020. Amir Abolhoda, M.D., who has performed more than 1,000 robotic procedures, not only trains surgeons on these advanced techniques but also travels to other medical centers to share his expertise.
"Teaching and training are such an important aspect of healthcare, and I take great pride in helping ensure that we can train the physicians of tomorrow, with the advances of today," said Amir Abolhoda, M.D., medical director of robotic cardiothoracic surgery at MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center. "The da Vinci 5® system elevates our ability to teach and perform these procedures with greater precision and control. This gentler approach can lead to shorter hospital stays, fewer complications, and easier recoveries—benefits that make a real difference for our patients and our community."
More than 120 surgeons across MemorialCare's three hospitals have extensive experience in robotic-assisted surgery and have received specialized training to operate da Vinci platforms. These surgeons perform procedures in over nine specialties, including pelvic and reconstructive surgery, gynecological oncology, gynecology, bariatric, thoracic, vascular, general surgery, colon and rectal, cardiac and urology. MemorialCare's familiarity with robotic systems positioned it as a natural early adopter of this fifth-generation technology.
The da Vinci 5 system introduces more than 150 design enhancements. It features next-generation 3D imaging with Intuitive's highest resolution display, advanced tremor and vibration control for smoother movements, and Force Feedback technology that allows surgeons to sense and measure pressure applied to tissue—reducing force by up to 43% in preclinical trials. In the past, robotic surgery only offered visualization, but the da Vinci 5 enables surgeons to actually feel the pressure of what they're doing.
Ergonomic improvements include an adjustable surgeon console that promotes better posture and accommodates a range of body types, including pregnant surgeons. The platform also integrates built-in insufflation, an electrosurgical unit, and a universal interface accessible by both the surgeon and operating room team, helping streamline procedures and reduce operating time.
"These advancements help streamline procedures and enable our surgical teams to focus more on patient care and less on setup or coordination," added Acord.
The da Vinci 5 will complement MemorialCare's existing da Vinci Xi and X systems. Most instruments are cross-compatible, allowing surgical teams to adopt the new platform seamlessly without disrupting ongoing services.
"We've performed thousands of robotic-assisted procedures with earlier da Vinci systems," said Acord. "The da Vinci 5 elevates that capability, bringing new levels of precision, comfort, and care to our patients."
About MemorialCare
MemorialCare is a not-for-profit, integrated health care delivery system with 225 care locations including leading hospitals—Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, Long Beach Medical Center and Miller Children's & Women's Hospital Long Beach; MemorialCare Medical Group and Greater Newport Physicians; MemorialCare Research Program; MemorialCare Select Health Plan; and numerous outpatient health, imaging, surgery, urgent care, physical therapy, breast health and dialysis centers throughout Orange and Los Angeles counties. Accolades include Nation's Best Health Systems and Workplaces, Top 50 U.S. Hospitals and Cardiovascular Hospitals, 10 Largest Children's Hospitals, 100 Best Hospitals - Spine and Prostate Surgeries, Best of Orange County and Long Beach Hospitals and Medical Groups, U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals and "high performing" in 31 clinical categories and Newsweek World's Best Hospitals, Top 100 Hospitals, Best Maternity Hospitals – and more. Visit memorialcare.org.
About Intuitive
Intuitive (NASDAQ: ISRG), headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, is a global leader in minimally invasive care and the pioneer of robotic surgery. Our technologies include da Vinci surgical systems and the Ion endoluminal system. By uniting advanced systems, progressive learning, and value-enhancing services, we help physicians and their teams optimize care delivery to support the best outcomes possible. At Intuitive, we envision a future of care that is less invasive and profoundly better, where disease is identified early and treated quickly, so that patients can get back to what matters most.
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/memorialcare-launches-da-vinci-5-robotic-surgical-system-expanding-robotic-surgical-program-access-across-all-hospitals-in-health-system-302550475.html
SOURCE MemorialCare