Mark Slack

Founder, Chief Medical Officer ·

Largest round$400MCMR Surgical · 2026 Followers on X1.6K

About Mark

Mark Slack is the Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer of CMR Surgical, a company that develops robotic surgical systems. He is a consultant gynaecologist and an honorary FRCS (Glasg). Slack has a background in medicine and has been involved in introducing new operations and co-inventing medical devices. He is based in Cambridge, UK.

Strengths: founder archetype

Domain operatorResearcherTechnical builder

Domain operator 4

Researcher 3

Technical builder 2

Young outlier –

Capital allocator –

Quant / trader –

Repeat founder –

Community builder –

one sourced signal · hover a cell for it, click for the source

Why domain operator

Mark Slack is a consultant gynaecologist who identified a problem in surgical training and patient access to minimally invasive surgery. He leveraged his deep understanding of the medical field to co-found CMR Surgical, developing a robotic system to address these challenges. His career shows a progression from clinical practice and academic research to building a medical technology company.

The signals behind it 4

Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer at @cmrsurgical // Consultant Gynaecologist // Hon FRCS (Glasg)Domain operator · Researcher
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I trained a lot of laparoscopic surgeons and realised that I couldn't train all of them to do the operation at a level that it really needed to be done at because laparoscopic keyhole surgery, as we should rather call itDomain operator · Technical builder
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I met this chap, Marcus Carey, who's the professor in Melbourne, and I met him in Canterbury. We've now had a lifelong of working together academically and that was the spark of what really became my expertise. I realiseResearcher · Domain operator
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So the first one we introduced was an operation called Sacrospinous Fixation, which was the first paper of its kind in the UK and it's a very commonly performed procedure now. I was then doing a lot of research and doingTechnical builder · Researcher · Domain operator
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PATH · 8 MILESTONES

Mark Slack | Surgeon to Surgical Robotics Founder

2018 → 2026·1phases·nowCMO CMR SURGICAL

Every tag links its source.

Network

Backed by 1

SStrykerLed CMR Surgical's Series B+, 2026

MSMark Slack

Built and backed 1

CCMR SurgicalFounder

Background

Role Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer
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Profession Consultant Gynaecologist
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Notable Work Co-invented a machine to measure pressures in the bladder
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Notable Work Introduced Sacrospinous Fixation in the UK
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Timeline, line by line 8

CMR Surgical raised $400M (Series B+), led by Stryker.Oct 12, 2026
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Interviewed by The Naked Scientists about CMR Surgical and medical technology innovationDec 19, 2023
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Expressed shock at sexual harassment in theatresApr 10, 2023
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Expressed concern about non-surgical cosmetic complicationsApr 10, 2023
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Welcomed new CMR Surgical CEO Supratim BoseApr 10, 2023
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Expressed pride in UK aid response to Turkish crisisFeb 7, 2023
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Expressed concern about Alzheimer research developmentNov 30, 2022
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Received honorary membership from Académie de ChirurgieNov 29, 2022
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In their words

“Not yet. That's, I think, quite a while away. At the moment it's a slave master. The surgeon remains the master and the robot is a slave. What it does is it gives you better vision, it gives you precision, it gives you better control and, as I said, it reduces training duration. But at the moment it's still 100% - all the decisions, all the work, all the movements - are controlled by the surgeon that's operating it.”On the current role of the robot in surgery, emphasizing surgeon control. · Dec 19, 2023
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“I think that's one of the most exciting areas. I've just been visiting a simulation laboratory where they make really high fidelity models. And so, yes, I do see you could do a scan of a person's anatomy, you could build the model out of plastic or synthetic substances, and the surgeon could then practise the surgery ahead of going in. I do think that's within reach, very soon in fact.”On the future potential of surgical simulations and personalized practice. · Dec 19, 2023
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“I am delighted to see more women being able to benefit from minimally invasive robotic surgery as its use is expanded in gynaecology. This is an incredibly exciting milestone in CMR’s story...”On the expansion of robotic surgery in gynaecology. · Dec 13, 2022
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“Shocked that sexual harassment still present in theatres. Time to take action to halt it. Work and theatre should be safe places. Indeed all places should be safe. Anyone witnessing should report @beckybeckyfish @ASiTofficial @RCObsGyn”On the issue of sexual harassment in surgical environments. · Apr 10, 2023
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Interviews and coverage

How CMR Surgical is taking on robotics’ ‘800-pound gorilla’MedTech Dive · Dec 3, 2024
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CMR Surgical receives CE Mark for use of Versius in paediatric surgeryMed-Tech Insights · Jan 8, 2026
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Mark Slack: CMR Surgical and beyondThe Naked Scientists · Dec 19, 2023
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CMR Surgical adds new tissue imaging tech to Versius robotFierce Biotech · Feb 12, 2024
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CMR Surgical secures $200M for US robot rolloutMedTech Dive · Apr 2, 2025
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Mark Slack: Innovating new medical technologiesThe Naked Scientists · Dec 19, 2023
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How this is researched

Researched from public pages: press, interviews, the company's site and the founder's own posts. Each source logo links the page that states the row; anything we couldn't source is left out. The archetype is our reading of that record, from a fixed set so founders can be compared. Updated Oct 13, 2026.