Utrecht-based Vitestro has raised €20 million to bring its robotic blood collection device to market.

Founded in 2017, the company aims to improve the process of drawing blood from patients and address staff shortages in healthcare, where demand for skilled lab technicians is growing at a higher rate than in any other profession.

The device uses infrared light to locate a vein and ultrasound to create an image of the blood vessel. An AI-powered robotic needle then uses this information to determine the correct puncture site with sub-millimeter accuracy.

Since 2023, Vitestro has been conducting the world’s largest clinical trial of autonomous blood collection devices in collaboration with hospitals and medical centers in the Netherlands.

Sonder Capital, NYBC Ventures, Invest-NL, and the European Innovation Council Foundation (EIC Fund) were among the investors who supported the round.