Tokyo-based BionicM Inc. has raised JPY 710 million (about USD 4.5 million) in the first close of its Series B financing, the company announced on 2 November 2026. The figure includes earlier investments made through J-KISS convertible equity. BionicM says its total funding to date, including equity and government grants, now stands at JPY 2.58 billion (about USD 16.4 million).
B Dash Ventures Inc. and Mitsubishi UFJ Capital Co., Ltd. are named as key investors in the round, alongside overseas investors and individual angel investors who were not identified. The announcement does not name a lead investor.
What the money is for
BionicM says the funds will strengthen its production infrastructure and expand sales and marketing in the United States ahead of the launch of ASISTA, its next-generation knee, planned for 2027.
Bio Leg and ASISTA
The company’s current product, Bio Leg, is described as a motorised powered prosthetic knee. BionicM says it holds US FDA Class II medical device registration and PDAC-verified reimbursement codes, and that new US reimbursement codes for electromechanical control, distinct from fluid-based control, were introduced in 2025.
ASISTA is described as an electromechanical microprocessor knee (MPK) with a flexion and extension assist mechanism. Where conventional MPKs mainly rely on passive hydraulic resistance, BionicM says ASISTA uses robotic actuation to actively help the knee bend and straighten. The company says this is designed to help users walk with more confidence on grass, gravel, slopes and uneven ground, walk farther with less fatigue, and stand up with less effort and less reliance on the upper body. The announcement gives no clinical outcome data, user activity levels or device weight.
Founder and CEO Xiaojun Sun said that since the last round the company has “steadily expanded our clinical trials and commercial foundation in the United States”, and described ASISTA as “a strategic product designed to transform the U.S. microprocessor knee (MPK) market”.
From a Tokyo doctorate to a venture award
BionicM grew out of Sun’s doctoral research at the University of Tokyo under Professor Masayuki Inaba, now Professor Emeritus, with support from the Japan Science and Technology Agency’s START Program. Bio Leg includes outcomes from projects supported by NEDO and Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. In 2026 the company received the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award at the University-Launched Venture Awards.
IMEA CPO Perspective
The points below are IMEA CPO’s own reading and are separate from the claims in BionicM’s announcement.
- A US-first strategy. The announcement says nothing about India, the Middle East, Africa or Central Asia. Its focus is the US reimbursement system, so CPOs in IMEA should not expect ASISTA in their clinics soon after the 2027 US launch.
- Active knees are a growing category. Powered and assisted knees move the knee rather than only resisting movement. For users who struggle with sit-to-stand, slopes and uneven ground, all common in much of the region, that is a meaningful clinical idea. It also needs prosthetists trained in setup, tuning and troubleshooting.
- An Asian innovator to watch. Most premium knees still come from European and North American groups. A well-funded Japanese company adds competition, and Asian manufacturing could eventually matter for pricing in IMEA, although BionicM has not said anything about pricing or markets outside the US.
- Questions for distributors. Gulf and Indian distributors serving active amputees, including veterans, may want to ask about regulatory plans, service and battery support before ASISTA reaches market.
Suggested hyperlinks / sources
- BionicM: BionicM raises JPY 710 million (approx. USD 4.5 million) in first close of Series B financing (2 November 2026)
- BionicM Inc.
- ISPO Webinar to Explore the Clinical Importance of Microprocessor Knee Prostheses (IMEA CPO)
- Hanger Acquires Bionic Power, Maker of the Agilik Smart Orthosis (IMEA CPO)
- O&P Business News (IMEA CPO)