Asian healthcare deals heat up as investors bet big on brain tech and surgical robotics
Private investors in Asia, including family offices operating in Hong Kong, are showing a growing appetite for advanced medical technologies such as brain-computer interfaces and surgical robotics, as healthcare deal activity picks up across the region amid China’s biotechnology boom. “Asia is ageing, so there’s a structural, long-term demand for better surgery and medicine,” said William Chow,…
Asian investors, including Hong Kong-based family offices, are increasingly interested in advanced medical technologies such as brain-computer interfaces and surgical robotics, driven by China's biotechnology boom and an aging population in the region. William Chow, deputy group CEO of Raffles Family Office, attributes this trend to a long-term demand for improved surgery and medicine in Asia.
The number of healthcare private equity funds dealing in Asia-Pacific nearly doubled in the first half of the year, reaching 129 compared to 66 a year earlier. Globally, there were 184 buyout deals in healthcare, with total disclosed deal value falling 18% year-on-year to US$51 billion. At Raffles Family Office, surgical robotics and brain-computer interfaces are becoming more frequent topics of conversation among investors.
Charles Hu, founder and CEO of Ryoden Medical Holdings, highlighted neurotechnology and artificial intelligence as key areas of interest, noting that AI adoption is moving from drug discovery to clinical use, enhancing surgical workflows through real-time feedback systems. The number of healthcare private equity buyout deals across the Asia-Pacific region increased by 24% year-on-year to 41 in the first half of the year, surpassing the global growth rate of 6%.
After a freeze on exits between 2021 and 2024, Hong Kong's thriving IPO market is once again providing an exit route for venture investors. SoftBank-backed surgical robotics company Noah Medical is preparing for a Hong Kong public listing. Deal making worldwide has become concentrated in fewer, larger transactions, with global deal volumes at record highs but a record-low number of deals.
Hong Kong and mainland China have seen an uptick in IPO activity, providing relief for some firms. Tay Choon Chong, managing partner of Vertex Ventures China, expects five to seven of his portfolio companies to list in Hong Kong this year, up from two in 2023. For deals that cannot wait for an IPO, secondary funds – buying existing stakes in private equity and private credit funds from investors needing liquidity before their 10-year term ends – have emerged as an alternative exit route.
The global secondary market reached a record US$240 billion in transaction volume in 2025 and is expected to hit another record in 2026.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
