Medtronic will pay about $700 million to Cornerstone Robotics for rights to sell the Sentire surgical robot outside the United States. The two companies announced the partnership on September 1. Sentire won a CE mark in May 2026 and is approved in China and Singapore.
Cornerstone was founded in 2019 by chief executive Samuel Au and built Sentire in house. The Hong Kong company raised $200 million in November 2025 at a valuation above $1 billion. Backers included the Hong Kong Investment Corporation, Qiming Venture Partners, Gaorong Ventures, Bridgeone Capital and K2VC.
Sentire is approved in those markets for minimally invasive general, gynecologic, thoracic and urologic surgery, and runs on a dual console. Medtronic keeps selling its own Hugo system, which is in more than 35 countries. Senior vice president Matt Anderson said the company is investing across robotic platforms because markets have different needs.
This is the kind of exit that never lands in an M&A table. Cornerstone keeps its company and its US pathway, and hands off the expensive part, a global sales force, to a strategic. The cost is that Medtronic now sets the pace in every market it took.