Nina Capital forms clinical advisory board with four physicians

Nina Capital said Sept. 7 it has launched a Clinical Advisory Board made up of four internationally recognized physicians to guide the firm and its portfolio companies. The move is meant to strengthen clinical diligence, product strategy, and regulatory and reimbursement planning across healthtech investing.

Why it matters: - Nina Capital is adding physician expertise to a part of venture investing where clinical credibility can shape product design, evidence generation, and market access. - The advisory board is designed to help portfolio companies navigate regulatory and reimbursement pathways, which can affect how quickly healthtech products reach patients. - The board also gives founders direct access to clinical networks in interventional neurology, medical imaging, and drug development.

What happened: - Nina Capital announced the formation of its Clinical Advisory Board on Sept. 7, 2026, in Barcelona. - The inaugural board includes Dr. Tudor G. Jovin, Prof. Gabriel P. Krestin, Prof. Lluís Donoso-Bach, and Dr. Pietro Scalfaro. - The four physicians join Nina Capital's inaugural Clinical Advisor, Dr. Paul Yock, a 2024 National Medal of Technology and Innovation laureate and founder of Stanford Biodesign. - The company said the board will provide clinical and scientific guidance to Nina Capital and its portfolio companies.

The details: - Dr. Tudor G. Jovin is Chairman and Chief of Neurology and Medical Director of the Cooper Neurological Institute at Cooper University Health Care in Camden, New Jersey, and professor of neurology and neurosurgery at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University. - Jovin led the REVASCAT, DAWN, BAOCHE, and LASTE trials that helped change treatment for acute ischemic stroke. - Prof. Gabriel P. Krestin is Professor Emeritus of Radiology at Erasmus MC in Rotterdam and a past president of the European Society of Radiology. - Krestin previously chaired Erasmus MC's Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine for nearly 25 years and founded the European Institute for Biomedical Imaging Research. - Krestin is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Medicine and Academia Europaea. - Prof. Lluís Donoso-Bach is president of the Fundació Món Clínic Barcelona and an honorary professor of radiology at the University of Barcelona. - Donoso-Bach is the former director of diagnostic imaging at Hospital Clínic de Barcelona. - Donoso-Bach is a former president of both the European Society of Radiology and the Spanish Society of Medical Radiology. - Nina Capital said Donoso-Bach has been a leading figure in the digital transformation of medical imaging. - Under his leadership, the R&D team developed imaging technologies, patents, and products that have been adopted in clinical practice across Spain. - Dr. Pietro Scalfaro is chief medical officer at ENYO Pharma, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company. - Scalfaro has worked in clinical development across infectious diseases, trained in pediatrics and intensive care at Lausanne University Hospital, and spent more than a decade at Debiopharm. - Scalfaro led development programs including alisporivir for hepatitis C and has held board roles at Biocartis and Agendia. - Scalfaro is also the clinical co-founder of Rivia. - Nina Capital Founder and Managing Partner Marta G. Zanchi said specialized industry insight is the strongest filter in healthtech investing. - Zanchi said the new board will sharpen diligence, strengthen portfolio companies, and improve patient outcomes.

Between the lines: - Nina Capital is signaling that clinical expertise is becoming a core investing tool, not just an optional add-on, for evaluating healthtech startups. - The board's mix of stroke care, imaging, and pharma backgrounds suggests the firm wants broader coverage across products that depend on proof, regulation, and physician adoption.

What's next: - The advisory board will begin informing diligence, product strategy, and market-access planning for Nina Capital and its portfolio companies. - The firm said founders will use the board's clinical networks and expertise as they build and scale healthcare products. - Nina Capital continues to invest in technology-enabled healthcare companies across Europe, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Israel, and Australia.

The bottom line: - Nina Capital is betting that seasoned physicians can help it back stronger healthtech companies and reduce the risk of clinical, regulatory, and commercial missteps.