Aether Biomedical
 | |
| Type | Spółka z o.o. |
|---|---|
| Industry | Health care |
| Founded | 2018 |
| Headquarters | , Poland |
Area served | Global |
Key people | Dhruv Agrawal (Co-Founder and CEO)[1] Faith Jiwakhan (CCO)[2] |
| Products | Bionic prostheses |
| Revenue | US $19.1 million (2026)[2] |
Number of employees | 68 (2026)[2] |
| Website | www.aetherbiomedical.com |
Aether Biomedical is a Polish-based medical robotics company developing upper-limb prosthetic technology, best known for the Zeus bionic hand.[3]
History
[edit]The company was started in 2018 in India by entrepreneurs from New Delhi, Dhruv Agrawal and Faith Jiwakhan, but moved to Poznań which they saw as offering the best conditions for development.[4][5]
The company has its U.S. headquarters in Chicago.[1]
As of October 2021 Aether's products were available in 12 EU Member States and in Asia.[6] As of November 2024 Aether Biomedical was the only manufacturer of bionic hand prostheses in Poland.[7]
In 2024 Forbes included Agrawal and Jiwakhan on its 30 Under 30 list in the Europe - Science & Healthcare category, reporting the company had sold more than 400 Zeus units up to that point.[8]
Agrawal was called a "visionary in the field of modern medical technology" by some Polish media, citing the Zeus as helping Ukrainian war veterans regain their ability to function.[9][10]
In September 2024 The Economic Times noted that Aether played a key role in the success of the Superhumans Center in Lviv, Ukraine's leading medical facility treating victims of the Russo-Ukrainian war, having provided 70 bionic arms to amputees at the center as of then.[11]
Funding
[edit]Aether Biomedical has raised €15 million in funding from venture capital firms,[12] with PLN 14 million funding coming from US funds[6] and Chiratae Ventures.[13] In 2018 it received the PLN 100 thousand Poland Prize from Brinc Polska, which enabled moving the company to Poznań.[10] It has received grants from the Polish government via the National Centre for Research and Development (PLN 2.4 million),[14] Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PLN 1.77 million),[15] and various European Union funds (over PLN 38 million).[16]
Activity in Ukraine
[edit]After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Aether Biomedical became involved in supplying bionic hands free of charge to Ukrainian amputees, including wounded soldiers and civilians. It collaborates with Superhumans Center[17] and UNBROKEN Center clinics in Lviv as well as the Open Dialogue Foundation.[18] For Superhumans the cooperation forms a part of its response to the shortage of upper-limb prosthetics specialists in Ukraine, combining device delivery with clinical missions and training for Ukrainian prosthetists.[19] The stated goal of the partnership with the Open Dialogue Foundation was to enable Ukrainian veterans and civilians receive a bionic hand free of charge, with the product being considered uniquely suited for wartime conditions by some media outlets.[18][20][13] As of November 2025 it was the first and only bionic hand fully reimbursed by the Ukrainian state.[18]
Aether supplied dozens of bionic arms for Ukrainian amputees through Superhumans, including around 70 installations in Lviv by late 2024 and more than 140 fittings in Ukraine over a subsequent 12-month period.[21]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 "Dhruv Agrawal". ain.ua. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Aether Biomedical Revenue and Competitors". Growjo. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
- ↑ Capoot, Ashley. "Amputees say this bionic hand startup gives them both strength and grace — they can even pick up raw eggs without crushing them". CNBC. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
- ↑ Możdżyński, Bogdan. "Bioniczne ręce do interesów. Dwaj koledzy z New Delhi przenieśli start-up do Poznania i zdobywają kolejne rynki (en. "Bionic Hands for Business. Two friends from New Delhi moved their startup to Poznań and are expanding into new markets")". Forbes. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
- ↑ Paż, Szymon (8 November 2025). "Zeus (prawie) wszechmogący. Jak Hindusi w Poznaniu stworzyli cudowną... dłoń!" [Zeus (almost) almighty. How the Indians in Poznań created a miraculous... hand!]. Głos Wielkopolski. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
- 1 2 Szczepański, Cezary (11 October 2021). "Aether Biomedical z finansowaniem. Startup pozyskał 14 mln złotych" [Aether Biomedical Secures Funding. The startup raised 14 mln zlotys]. My Company Polska. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
- ↑ Sidorowicz, Jaroslaw (19 November 2024). "Hinduski prezes firmy zaatakowany w pociągu do Krakowa. Policja rasistowskiego tła nie widzi" [Hindu CEO attacked on a train to Krakow. Police do not see a racist motive]. Wyborcza.pl. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
- ↑ "Aether Biomedical". Forbes. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
- ↑ "Brutalny atak w pociągu PKP Intercity. Ofiarą prezes bionicznej protezy Zeus" [Brutal attack on a PKP Intercity train. The victim is the CEO of Zeus, a bionic prosthesis company]. checkPRESS.pl. 19 November 2024. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
- 1 2 Brokking, Monika (11 April 2024). "Aether Biomedical: rewolucja w bionice" [Aether Biomedical: A Revolution in Bionics]. TEK.info.pl. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
- ↑ "Aether Biomedical: Meet the Indian company which is literally re-arming Ukraine soldiers". The Economic Times. 28 September 2024. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
- ↑ "Aether Biomedical". Startup Intros. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
- 1 2 Mathur, Nandita (24 June 2020). "Chiratae Ventures invests in medical robotics startup Aether Biomedical". mint. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
- ↑ "Opracowanie bionicznej protezy przedramienia „Zeus" (en. Creation of modular bionic Zeus arm prosthesis")". National Centre for Research and Development. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
- ↑ "Polskie firmy medtech i biotech zyskują rozgłos za granicą dzięki Funduszom Europejskim (en. "Polish medtech and biotech companies receive recognition abroad thanks to European Funds")". PARP. 22 June 2026. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
- ↑ "Grant Projects". Aether Biomedical. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
- ↑ "Aether Biomedical to Deliver Prostheses in Ukraine". The O&P Edge. 1 February 2024. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
- 1 2 3 Mycielski, Martin. "Bionic prosthetics for Ukrainian veterans – 1-year campaign summary". Open Dialogue Foundation. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
- ↑ "Aether Biomedical працює з Superhumans Center над встановленням біонічних протезів рук (en. "Aether Biomedical works with Superhumans Center to install bionic prosthetic hands")". Superhumans. 2 February 2024. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
- ↑ "Aether Biomedical Partners with Superhumans Center to Deliver Bionic Limbs to Injured Ukrainians". Business Wire. 31 January 2024. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
- ↑ Reddy, Sudhakar (28 September 2024). "In war-hit Ukraine, Indian innovators lend a hand to those who have lost arms". The Times of India. Retrieved 22 June 2026.