Emergent Medical Partners

Investment decisions are led by Co-Founders and Managing Directors Dr. Thomas Fogarty and Allan May. Dr. Fogarty is a renowned cardiovascular surgeon credited with inventing the Fogarty balloon catheter, and Allan May is a serial medtech entrepreneur and investor. Their combined clinical and operational experience forms the basis of the firm's investment committee and portfolio guidance model.

Emergent Medical Partners exclusively targets seed and Series A stage companies. The firm focuses on the translational gap, where a technology has proof-of-concept but requires significant regulatory, clinical, or reimbursement expertise to reach commercialization. This stage-specific focus allows the firm to lead or co-lead rounds before other institutional capital enters.

The firm concentrates on three core verticals: traditional medical devices requiring FDA clearance, digital health platforms with clear regulatory or reimbursement pathways, and innovative healthcare service models. Within medical devices, the firm has a track record in cardiovascular, neuromodulation, and surgical technologies, while avoiding biopharmaceuticals and diagnostic platforms with uncertain regulatory endpoints.

Emergent Medical Partners positions itself as a lead or co-lead investor in seed and Series A rounds. The firm typically takes a board seat and plays an active role in portfolio company development, leveraging the clinical network of Dr. Fogarty and the operating network of Allan May to assist with clinical trial design, regulatory strategy, and early commercialization.

Dr. Thomas Fogarty's status as an active surgeon and prolific medical device inventor — with over 165 patents — allows the firm to conduct technical due diligence rooted in clinical practice rather than purely financial analysis. This means the partnership spends less time on abstract market sizing and more time evaluating product-user fit, procedural adoption friction, and realistic regulatory timelines, which can be a key differentiator for founders seeking informed investors.

As an early-stage focused fund, Emergent Medical Partners typically writes initial checks sized appropriately for seed and Series A medtech rounds, though the firm does not publicly disclose a rigid minimum or maximum. The engagement model is high-conviction and concentrated; the firm makes a limited number of bets per fund to maintain its ability to provide hands-on operational and clinical support to each portfolio company.

The firm has raised six core funds dedicated to early-stage medical technology investing. The most recent vehicle, Emergent Medical Partners VI, held its final close in October 2022 above its target (per the firm's official communications). Across all funds, the partnership has managed over $300 million in committed capital.