(Image: Andrew Cawley)
Glasgow medtech company Nami Surgical has secured £3.4 million in funding to accelerate the development and commercialisation of its robotic surgery technology, creating five new jobs.
The University of Glasgow spin-out is developing miniature ultrasonic surgical tools designed for robotic-assisted procedures.
Ailsa Young (SNIB), Dr Nico Fenu (Nami Surgical), Nikki Palfrey (Nami Surgical), Dr Rebecca Cleary (Nami Surgical), and Jane Reoch (SNIB). (Image: Andrew Cawley)
The Scottish National Investment Bank led the funding round with a £2 million investment, supported by existing investors Eos Advisory, Scottish Enterprise and the Investment Fund for Scotland, managed by Maven Capital Partners and delivered by the British Business Bank.
The funding will support Nami’s commercialisation plans and expand its research and development team at its headquarters in Hillington, southwest Glasgow.
Founded in 2021 by Dr Nico Fenu and Dr Rebecca Cleary, the company was established to address a gap in the market for ultrasonic surgical tools suitable for robotic systems.
Nami has developed a patent-protected ultrasonic scalpel designed to give surgeons greater flexibility when operating with robotic-assisted devices.
Ultrasonic scalpels use high-frequency vibrations to cut tissue and seal blood vessels simultaneously, allowing for precise and controlled procedures. However, traditional devices have generally been too large and inflexible for integration into robotic systems.
Nami’s technology miniaturises the transducer, the component that generates ultrasonic vibrations, allowing its scalpel to bend and rotate within robotic systems while retaining its cutting and sealing functions.
The latest investment follows several milestones for the business, including the appointment of chief executive Nikki Palfrey in January, ISO 13485 certification for medical device quality management, and being named Bio-tech Manufacturer of the Year at the 2026 Made in Scotland Awards.
The company is now focused on developing strategic partnerships with global healthcare businesses as demand for robotic-assisted surgery grows worldwide.
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Nikki Palfrey, chief executive of Nami Surgical, said: "We have reached an important stage in Nami’s development, moving from demonstrating the potential of our technology to building the capabilities and partnerships needed to bring it into the surgical environment.
"This investment gives us the resources to accelerate that journey, strengthening our engineering team in Glasgow while continuing to generate the evidence and relationships required for commercial adoption.
"Our ambition is to establish Nami as a key technology partner in the global robotic surgery market, bringing together Scottish engineering expertise and world-leading ultrasonic innovation to address an important unmet need for surgeons.
"We are proud to be developing this technology in Glasgow and to have the continued support of investors who share our ambition to take it to the global market."
Ailsa Young, investment director at the Scottish National Investment Bank, said: "Robotic-assisted surgery is a rapidly growing field in the medtech industry worldwide.
"Nami’s innovative IP introduces new capabilities to the field, demonstrating clear potential to deliver a broader range of robotic-assisted procedures more effectively and safely.
"Our investment will help secure high-skilled jobs within Nami’s Glasgow team, solidifying the city’s reputation as a global leader in ultrasonics and keeping valuable intellectual property and technology here in Scotland."