BioNTech has plenty of cash and is gearing up for an IPO, but money from a Hong Kong investor is in limbo. Plus, Satsuma and SpringWorks bring US IPO total to 34 this year, Fate's FOPO raises $150.5m and Pharvaris brings in $66m.

Medrobotics Corp. recently received US FDA 510(k) clearance for its Flex Robotic System for transoral head and neck surgery, a market estimated at roughly $1 billion in the US alone. Although Medrobotics is only the second company to bring a robotic soft-tissue surgical system to market in the US, other novel systems are in development, including a unique robotic system for needlescopic procedures.

Beaten down by the great recession, the large joint arthroplasty market appears to be on the cusp of a turnaround, with several big players reporting encouraging Q4 and full-year 2012 results. A full recovery in this space is likely to take some time, but technology advances could help jumpstart the process, and there may be some interesting dynamics ahead in the patient-specific implant and robotic ortho device arenas.

Start-Up's monthly comprehensive review of emerging life science companies that have received venture funding during the month, including companies in the pharmaceutical, medical device, diagnostic and research instrumentation and reagent sectors.