Medtronic reportedly in talks to buy Israel’s Ventor for $325m. Global giant, Medtronic, the world’s largest stand-alone maker of medical devices, is planning to buy Israeli start-up Ventor Technologies for $325 million in cash, according to reports in Israeli media. Ventor has developed an aortic valve prosthesis that can be implanted on a beating heart under local anesthetic using a catheter. Using this method there is no need for open-heart surgery. The Netanya-based company was founded in 2004, by Dr. Ehud Shvemental of Sheba Medical Center Tel Hashomer, Rafi Benary, and Dr. Shimon Eckhouse. To date Ventor has raised $20 million from venture capital fund Pitango Venture Capital and veteran medical device entrepreneur Shimon Eckhouse. In the past Medtronic also invested over $10 million in the start up.