A surgeon, an investor, a shared vision

In the world of impact entrepreneurship, one connection can change everything. A shared conversation, a moment of understanding, and suddenly a door swings open to new possibilities. This is the magic of the Cartier Women’s Initiative — a global network of passionate changemakers who uplift, motivate and propel each other forward.

We have dedicated this blog series to showcasing these special connections and their far-reaching impact. This fourth installment tells the story of 2024 fellow Lynne Lim, creator of the world’s first handheld robotic device for ear tube surgery, and 2012 fellow and jury member Cécile Réal, whose entrepreneur seed fund Medevice Capital specializes in medical devices.

A connection worth the wait

It all started in Shenzhen in May 2024. As a 2024 Cartier Women’s Initiative fellow, Lynne was caught up in the whirlwind of Awards Week. Amidst the new learnings and connections, she kept hearing from her fellow awardees that she simply must meet Cécile — “a wonderful jury member who would be perfect for my impact journey”.

Simultaneously, Cécile was encouraged again and again to connect with Lynne. When they finally crossed paths, Lynne grabbed the opportunity with both hands.

She recalls, “I hustled Cécile to my hotel room in between some lectures and pitched to her about the novel robotic surgical applicator CLiKX I was working on. She asked such pertinent questions and gave such prescient and considered advice to a few key issues that had been troubling me. I immediately knew I had to get her as a mentor.”

Cécile felt the same instant connection. She explains, “Lynne was like a ray of sunshine — full of energy and enthusiasm. I was impressed not only because she’s a surgeon and a CEO, which is rare, but also because she was smiling, joking and immediately open about her project and its challenges. We clicked instantly — it felt like we were speaking the same language!”

From clinical challenge to scalable solution

Lynne’s CLiKX device treats glue ear, or otitis media with effusion, which occurs when fluid becomes trapped in the middle ear. The leading cause of childhood hearing loss, it is difficult to treat, especially in developing countries, as the traditional solution involves surgery under general anesthesia using an expensive surgical microscope.

Like so many game-changing inventions, CLiKX was born of frustration. On Lynne’s humanitarian mission in rural Cambodia as a pediatric ear, nose and throat surgeon, she met hundreds of children needing surgery for glue ear. Without access to general anesthesia, an operating room or the correct equipment to perform hearing-saving surgery, she was forced to turn them away.

Back home in Singapore, a simple moment sparked an idea. Watching her daughter get her ears pierced with a handheld device, Lynne imagined a better way. Ten years of research, testing and determination later, that moment became CLiKX — a groundbreaking handheld robotic device designed to insert one-millimeter ear tubes in just one second, using only local anesthesia in a clinic setting.

An experienced entrepreneur in the medical industry herself, Cécile founded Endodiag, which develops non-invasive diagnosis and advanced biopsy tools to fight endometriosis, alongside her role leading Medevice Capital. Medevice Capital is a seed investment fund in the healthcare sector, with a particular specialism in medical devices. Cécile’s deep knowledge of the space meant she could see the enormous potential of Lynne’s solution right away.

Shaping NousQ’s future

By the end of the year, Cécile became a key member of NousQ’s Advisory Board, adding huge value with her hands-on approach to strategy, product and business development. The pair speak most weeks and Cécile has fond memories of her visit to NousQ HQ in Singapore.

Lynne enthuses, “Cécile’s depth of experience in the medical device start-up field, her unique combination of being a founder, CEO, investor and mentor, her strength of character and charm, and being a very people person whose communication style cuts across cultures and ages – I could not have asked for more.”

Cécile finds their partnership just as rewarding. “Beyond the technology and mission of NousQ, what really excites me is the international nature of this collaboration. We don’t always see the world from the same perspective, and our ways of tackling challenges may differ — but they’re complementary, and we learn a lot from each other. I also really enjoy working with Lynne personally. We’re about the same age, have similar personalities, and even in such a short time, we've managed to have deep, personal conversations.”

The first of many joint adventures

Both women see this as the beginning of a long and fruitful collaboration. Cécile says, “My goal is to help NousQ to create impact at a large scale as soon as possible! Bringing a medical device to patients can be a long and difficult journey, but we believe that by combining our experience and networks, we can do it faster and do it right.”

Lynne adds, “Together with Cécile, I hope to bring the gift of hearing to millions of kids and adults globally. I hope we get to share many other adventures together too.”

NousQ’s recent news represents a significant step towards realizing Lynne’s bold ambition – in June 2025, the business announced it had successfully closed its over-subscribed Pre-Series A $7.5 million USD funding round.

Reflecting on the network that brought them together

Lynne and Cécile both speak with palpable enthusiasm about the Cartier Women’s Initiative community and the relationships they have developed since joining.

Lynne puts it simply: “The Cartier Women’s Initiative network is one of the most genuine, giving and generous communities that I have ever been blessed with.”

Cécile agrees, “I’ve been part of the CWI community since 2012, and every year I’m more impressed. It’s a group of incredibly talented, driven and humble women from all over the world who truly want to change things. This network is a safe space where we can exchange ideas, ask for help, learn and meet inspiring people. Connections happen naturally — it’s energizing and gives us a real boost to keep growing our projects!”