Diamond packaging for medical implants

THE CHALLENGE: Medical implants that need more than conventional packaging.

Build a venture that creates new opportunities for next-generation medical implants.

An implant package must protect its electronics, but it may also need to accommodate many closely spaced electrical connections, spread heat, or let light and wireless signals pass through. Neural interfaces, implantable sensors, and optical systems bring these demands together.

Titanium and ceramic packages have a strong track record. There is an opportunity where the combination of size, electrical connections, heat flow, and optical access makes it difficult to adapt.

The opportunity is to build a venture around diamond-based packaging for medical implants.

HighTechXL is now looking for founders to choose an application where the value of diamond justifies the cost and qualification effort, and turn the technology opportunity into a scalable medical-device venture.

THE SOLUTION: Diamond packaging for next-generation implants

Diamonds grown by chemical vapour deposition, or CVD, have an unusual combination of properties for this job. High-quality insulating grades can be chemically stable, conduct heat well, and transmit light. Doping can make selected grades conductive for electrodes or feedthroughs.

Why diamond?

Thermal management: Diamond can spread heat away from a local source and help manage thermal loads in compact implantable electronics.

Electrical & optical access: Electrically insulating regions can give designers more flexibility with electrical connections, RF or inductive links, while diamond can provide optical access at selected wavelengths.

Hermetic packaging: Researchers have already demonstrated free-standing diamond capsules with electrical feedthroughs and all-diamond hermetic feedthrough arrays for retinal prostheses. This published work gives us a technical starting point, but does not establish the performance of a Nexacor package, which still needs to be built and qualified.

Flexible package design: The whole package does not have to be a diamond. Diamond components need to work with suitable joining methods, interconnections, electronics and the interfaces that contact tissue.

THE OPPORTUNITY: Build the next generation of implant packaging

We plan to sell to implant developers and manufacturers. Our proposed starting point is one co-development program with a customer whose packaging problem is clearly defined.

Possible first applications include:

Neural interfaces
Neural stimulation or recording systems with demanding electrical connections.

Optical implants
Implantable systems where optical access needs to be combined with protection of sensitive electronics.

Compact sensors & stimulators
Compact rechargeable sensors or stimulators where package size, heat flow and electrical connections create design challenges.

We have not committed to a product line. We want to choose with customers, based on a clear buyer, a test device we can realistically build, and a reason to use diamond rather than the existing package.

The venture is still at the pre-product stage. We have feasibility and architecture work to build on, but an implant-grade complete package, final-device biological safety and clinical performance remain to be demonstrated.

Who will build this?

Our CEO & Commercial Lead has already been appointed and will lead the commercial side of the venture,  building relationships with device manufacturers and clinicians, choosing the first application, negotiating development contracts, and raising capital.

We’re now looking for additional founders to complete the team,  people who want to get involved in the work, make difficult technical and product decisions, and stay with a medical-device venture through a long development cycle.

CTO and packaging lead: Leading package design, process development, suppliers, and failure analysis. Bring deep experience in CVD diamonds, advanced packaging, precision processing, hermetic sealing or feedthroughs, and know how to bring in the other expertise we need. 

Medical product and quality lead: Turning the intended use into requirements, risk management, design controls, and verification. Lead biological evaluation and regulatory planning with the device partner, drawing on the applicable ISO 14708, ISO 10993, and ISO 14971 requirements.

WHAT WE BRING: Build it with HighTechXL

Structured program: During the program, you will validate the problem you want to solve, consolidate your team, find the right business model, develop the proof of technology and reach investor readiness. All this in collaboration of HTXL team.

Venture Journey: Interactive guidance through the milestones to help you prepare in each phase of the program and its gate moments.

Free office space: Once the program starts you will be able to use HTXL’s office space and meeting rooms to work with your team and have private meetings.

1-1 Sessions: During the program, your venture will benefit from 1:1 sessions covering business, team, finance, legal, technology, subsidies, supply chain and more. These sessions help you stay on track and move the venture forward.

Network Access: You will get access to the deep-tech startup ecosystem. Including HTXL partners and beyond.

Visibility: The right connections matter. HTXL creates opportunities for ventures to get noticed. You can connect with talent, investors and industry players who can help you grow.

Workshops: You will be invited to participate in a variety of workshops addressing topics such as team dynamics, market validation, supply chain, venture branding, media training, subsidies and more.

PreSeedXL Fund: You will have the opportunity to receive pre-seed investment from our HighTechXL Fund during the program once the venture has successfully passed the relevant gate moments.

Pre-seed and Seed Fundraising Support: We will introduce you to investors within our ecosystem and support you with fundraising and term sheet negotiations.

Equity Split / Cap Table Structure: Founders and HighTechXL build the venture together as co-founders, sharing both the opportunity and the risk. Individual founders retain a significant ownership stake in the company, while HighTechXL is equally committed to the venture and invested in its success. The specific cap table and equity allocation are discussed and agreed privately on a 1:1 basis, depending on the venture and deal structure.

Want to go deeper?

Download the full Venture Opportunity onepager to explore the technology, market opportunity, founder roles and venture-building model in more detail.

Ready for your next adventure?

If you see yourself as the founder of this venture, we’d love to hear from you! Email Ximena at ximena@hightechxl.com and mention this venture opportunity to start the conversation for our Fall 2026 cohort.