# Jacques Essinger

> Jacques Essinger is the Swiss co-founder, CEO and chairman of Polares Medical. Trained in physics and biomechanics at EPFL, he co-founded Symbios in 1989, led Modex and IsoTis, and became CEO of Symetis in 2004. Symetis agreed to a $435 million acquisition by Boston Scientific in 2017; Polares was spun out before the acquisition closed.

- **Role:** Co-founder, CEO and Chairman at Polares Medical
- **Organizations:** Polares Medical, Symetis, Symbios Orthopédie, Modex Therapeutics, IsoTis, MPDI, Medos Medical System, Endeavour Vision
- **Nationality:** Swiss
- **Education:** MSc in Physics, École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), PhD in Biomechanics, École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)
- **Known for:** Co-founded Symbios in 1989 and wrote the first version of its Makestem software., Led Modex through a Swiss Exchange IPO in 2000., Led Symetis before its 2017 acquisition by Boston Scientific, announced at $435 million in cash.

## Career timeline

- **Before 1989** — Director of R&D at MPDI, a US start-up subsequently part of General Electric.
- **1989** — Co-founded Symbios with Jean Plé and Jean-Manuel Aubaniac; developed the first version of Makestem software.
- **1996** — Started Medos Medical System, the Ventura, California subsidiary of SODEM Medical Systems.
- **1997** — Joined Modex Therapeutics as CEO and board member.
- **2000** — Led Modex through its Swiss Exchange IPO.
- **2002** — Modex merged with IsoTis; joined the IsoTis board on November 20.
- **2003** — Led IsoTis through the GenSci transaction.
- **2004** — Became CEO of Symetis.
- **2017** — Symetis agreed to a $435 million sale to Boston Scientific on March 30; closing followed May 16. Polares was spun out before closing.
- **2017** — Joined Endeavour Vision as an operating partner, according to his executive biography.
- **2018** — Polares closed a $25 million Series A.
- **2020** — Polares announced a $40 million Series B.
- **2026** — Polares announced a $50 million Series C on March 3.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Symbios in 1989 and wrote the first version of its Makestem software.
- Led Modex through a Swiss Exchange IPO in 2000.
- Led Symetis before its 2017 acquisition by Boston Scientific, announced at $435 million in cash.
- Accepted the Tech Tour 2017 Medtech Award on behalf of Symetis.

## Latest updates

- **2026-03** — Polares announced a $50 million Series C financing on March 3; its announcement identified Essinger as CEO.

## Links

- Website: https://www.polaresmedical.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessinger

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/jacques-essinger
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-25