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Brontes Technologies has raised $7.0M across 1 funding round.
Key people at Brontes Technologies.
Brontes Technologies was founded in 2003 by Eric Paley (Co-Founder/CEO/General Manager).
Brontes Technologies has raised $7.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Brontes Technologies is a dental technology company originating from Massachusetts Institute of Technology research that developed a 3D digital dental impression and fabrication system utilizing a single-lens oral scanner. The integrated hardware and software platform enabled practicing dentists to replace traditional physical impression methods with fast, real-time digital scanning capabilities designed for restorative dentistry applications. Operating as a venture-funded startup, the enterprise secured early-stage equity financing from prominent institutional investment firms, drawing notable backing from Charles River Ventures and Bain Capital to commercialize its academic research. The business concluded its independent operations and reached a definitive scale milestone when it was acquired by the multinational manufacturing conglomerate 3M for $95 million in 2006. Brontes Technologies was founded in 2003 by the entrepreneurial and scientific team of Eric Paley, Micah Rosenbloom, Douglas Hart, and János Rohály.
Brontes Technologies has raised $7.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $7.0M Series A in May 2004.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1, 2004 | $7M Series A | — | Flybridge Capital Partners | Announced |
Key people at Brontes Technologies.
Brontes Technologies was founded in 2003 by Eric Paley (Co-Founder/CEO/General Manager).
Brontes Technologies has raised $7.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Brontes Technologies's investors include Flybridge Capital Partners.
Brontes Technologies was a startup that developed a 3D intraoral scanner for digital dental impressions, revolutionizing intraoral imaging in dentistry.[1][2][3] The company built the Lava Chairside Oral Scanner (C.O.S.), serving dentists and orthodontists by capturing high-resolution, real-time 3D video images of patients' mouths to create precise digital models for crowns, bridges, and orthodontic appliances, eliminating messy traditional molds and improving accuracy, speed, and patient comfort.[1][2][3][4] It solved key pain points in dental workflows, such as time-consuming physical impressions and lab delays, enabling chairside reviews and mass customization in dental labs; the company raised $8M before its 2006 acquisition by 3M for $95M, after which the product launched in 2007 and benefited thousands of patients.[1][2][3][4]
Brontes Technologies emerged in 2003 from MIT research on high-speed 3D imaging, initially a 2002 project by lecturer Janos Rohaly (Chief Scientist), professor Douglas Hart, and graduate students Federico Frigerio and Sheng Tan from MIT's Mechanical Engineering Department.[2][3] The team secured a Deshpande Center grant to pivot toward commercial applications, then recruited Harvard Business School students Eric Paley (CEO) and Micah Rosenbloom (COO) in autumn 2002 to craft a business plan; they placed as runner-up in the MIT $50K and Harvard Business Plan Competitions in May 2003.[3] Incorporated in June 2003 and based in Lexington, Massachusetts, the company zeroed in on the dental market that summer, raising funds in 2004 from Flybridge Capital, Charles River Ventures, Bain Capital Ventures, and David Frankel, achieving early traction through competitive deals and rapid development.[1][3]
Brontes rode the early 2000s wave of digital transformation in dentistry, shifting from analog molds to CAD/CAM and 3D scanning amid rising demand for precision orthodontics and restorative care.[3][4] Timing was ideal post-2000s biotech imaging advances and MIT's innovation ecosystem, with market forces like aging populations, orthodontic growth, and lab digitization favoring faster, mess-free tools.[1][2] The company's tech influenced the ecosystem by pioneering intraoral scanners—now standard via 3M's Lava line—accelerating adoption of digital workflows, improving patient outcomes for thousands, and paving the way for modern players in dental AI and imaging.[2][4]
Post-2006 acquisition, Brontes lives on within 3M's oral care portfolio, with the Lava C.O.S. evolving into broader ESPE solutions amid ongoing dental digitalization.[2][4] Next steps likely involve AI-enhanced scanning, integration with tele-dentistry, and expansion into emerging markets as global dental tech hits $50B+ by 2030. Trends like personalized orthodontics and sustainability (less waste) will propel its legacy, solidifying Brontes' foundational role in a space where precision imaging drives the next era of patient-centric care—echoing its MIT roots in high-speed innovation.[1][3]
