Ex-Intuitive engineer joins structural heart robotics startup Capstan Medical to lead R&D

Capstan Medical has hired former Intuitive Surgical engineer Greg Dachs to lead the structural heart robotics startup’s research and development efforts as R&D head.

Dachs joined Santa Cruz, California-based Capstan Medical this week from 3D printing firm Carbon, where he was SVP of engineering. Before that, Dachs spent eight years at Intuitive surgical, joining the surgical robotics developer as a research engineer in 2007 and ultimately rising to manager of mechanical engineering.

Previously: Capstan Medical’s cardiac surgical robotics mission: ‘Not for the faint of heart’

Capstan Medical CEO Maggie Nixon and Capstan Medical founder and Chief Technology Officer Dan Wallace worked together at Intuitive Surgical, which originally intended to develop a robotics platform for cardiac procedures before finding success in minimally invasive prostatectomies that would make it the world’s leading surgical robotics company. (Wallace is also co-founder of Occam Labs, the Capstan Medical incubator that hired Intuitive VP, Treasurer and Head of Investor Relations Brian King as VP and head of finance in 2024.)

“I couldn’t be more excited for Greg to join our already impressive technical team,” Nixon said of the hire on LinkedIn. “Great to work with you again Greg!”

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Capstan Medical is developing a robotics platform for minimally invasive, catheter-delivered mitral and tricuspid valve replacements. The company raised a $110 million Series C funding round in December, with Nixon telling Medical Design & Outsourcing that her company was close to hiring a regulatory leader and hoped for a first-in-human mitral valve procedure in early 2025.

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Dachs has “a wealth of experience in robotics, hardware and technology scaling that will be incredibly valuable in our next phase of development,” Capstan Medical said on the social media platform.

“My first two days have been great, and I can’t wait to see what the future brings,” Dachs said on LinkedIn, where he explained his decision to join Capstan Medical “after nine incredible years at Carbon.

“When I first joined [Carbon], we were just beginning to introduce our first printers and resins to the world,” he wrote. “Looking at where the company is now—over 1,000 printers installed globally, producing millions of parts with a wide range of resins, alongside powerful design and factory management software—is truly awe-inspiring. Thank you Carbon for the opportunity, the invaluable lessons, and the unforgettable memories.”

“For my next step, I’m thrilled to join the team at Capstan developing devices that will enhance the quality and accessibility of care for heart disease,” Dachs continued. “Medical devices—and particularly innovative ones involving robotics—have long been a passion of mine. I’ve been following Capstan for some time, learning more about their product and team, and when the opportunity to join arose, I was excited to be part of it.”

December 2024: Capstan Medical CEO Maggie Nixon offers a tech update from the structural heart robotics startup