Sava's $36M Raise: The Microsensor That Could End Fingersticks

Jan de Vries · 2026-10-09

Sava Technologies, a London-based HealthTech company, just announced a €32.08 million ($36 million) Series B round. They're developing a wearable biosensor that detects molecules just beneath the skin. The funding will help scale up manufacturing and get the product ready for market. ### Who's Behind the Money? The round was led by Ascensia, with participation from Balderton Capital, Norrsken VC, Simplyhealth Ventures, JamJar Investments, Pentland Ventures, and others. This follows a €16.6 million Series A in July 2025, bringing total funding to €60.6 million ($68 million). ### A Partnership That Makes Sense Sava also announced a deal with Ascensia, a subsidiary of PHC Holdings Corporation (TYO 6523), to be its commercialization and distribution partner, starting in Europe. Ascensia, based in Basel, was formed in 2016 when PHC acquired Bayer Diabetes Care. They operate in over 90 countries and have direct commercial teams in 29 markets. Their portfolio includes the CONTOUR line of blood glucose monitors. Renato Circi, co-founder and Co-CEO of Sava, said, "For decades, continuous monitoring has been held back by the same legacy technology. This is about to change. We're thrilled to be partnering with Ascensia, a global powerhouse in the space, to deliver, as a first step, something radically better to millions of people with diabetes." ### The Tech: Smaller, Smarter, Less Painful Sava was founded in 2019 by Imperial College London bioengineers Renato Circi and Rafaël Michali. After five years in stealth, they emerged in June 2024 with over €7.4 million in Seed funding led by Balderton Capital and Exor Ventures. The company's wearable uses proprietary microsensor technology to measure molecules just beneath the skin, painlessly and continuously. It starts with glucose but is designed to track other biomarkers too, opening doors beyond diabetes. According to Sava, their microsensors are about ten times shorter than the filament in traditional continuous glucose monitors (CGMs). That means less skin disruption while still reaching interstitial fluid. ### What's Next? Sava is planning a pivotal clinical study this year and is targeting CE approval for non-adjunctive use. That means the device could be used to make insulin dosing decisions without routine fingerstick confirmation—the standard required for a CGM to replace, rather than supplement, blood glucose testing. If approved, Ascensia will lead the commercial launch in Europe. The capital will fund manufacturing scale-up and commercial readiness. Peter Bodlund, CEO of Ascensia, commented, "Microsensor technology has the potential to transform the day-to-day monitoring experience for people with diabetes. By bringing together Sava's innovative technology with Ascensia's deep diabetes expertise, strong reputation and commercial capabilities, we have an exciting opportunity to address important unmet needs in diabetes care. This is an exciting step for Ascensia as we continue to broaden our portfolio and pursue our ambition to simplify and improve life for people with diabetes." So, what does this mean for you? If you or someone you know lives with diabetes, this could be a game-changer. Fewer fingersticks, more freedom. And it's all happening thanks to a little microsensor that's about to make a big impact.