VitVio, a London-based artificial intelligence startup, has secured £1.5 million in pre-seed funding to deploy AI-powered monitoring systems in hospital operating rooms, as healthcare facilities seek tech solutions to address mounting surgical backlogs and rising costs.
The funding round, led by LDV Capital with participation from Bek Ventures and Tiny Supercomputer Investment Company, comes as the U.K.’s National Health Service grapples with record waiting lists of 7.6 million patients. Operating rooms account for approximately 40% of hospital expenditures, while inefficiencies in U.S. operating rooms alone contribute to an estimated £57 billion in excess costs annually, according to company data.
The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has initiated a pilot program with VitVio’s technology, which uses cameras and sensors to track surgical tools, monitor procedure stages, and analyze adherence to safety protocols in real time. The system integrates with existing hospital information systems and provides analytics through a dashboard interface.
“The NHS faces significant challenges, so we need to be innovative to find solutions,” said Steve Washbourne, Executive Director of Finance at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital. “This collaboration isn’t just about advanced technology. It is about empowering our staff with the tools they need to focus on what matters most – providing the best care for patients.”
VitVio’s founding team, including CEO Thomas Knox and CTO Dr. Peter Rennert, previously deployed AI systems at autonomous retail companies AiFi and Standard AI. The startup aims to apply similar computer vision expertise to healthcare operations.
“When we met the founder team at VitVio, we were immediately attracted to their technical capability proven out in an adjacent area and the giant impact that VitVio’s technology can have on the economics of hospitals,” said Cem Sertoglu, Managing Partner at Bek Ventures.
The investment will fund expansion into U.S. and European hospitals. VitVio says additional hospital partnerships are forthcoming.
The startup’s platform provides post-surgery analytics and detailed reports to help surgical teams improve efficiency and reduce complications. Theater coordinators can use the data to optimize scheduling and resource allocation, addressing a critical need as hospitals worldwide face staffing shortages and cost pressures.
“VitVio will deliver a leapfrog technical solution to operating theaters by leveraging computer vision and artificial intelligence,” said Evan Nisselson, Founder and General Partner at LDV Capital, which has specialized in computer vision investments since 2012.
The move comes amid broader adoption of AI technologies in healthcare, as hospitals seek solutions to address post-pandemic backlogs and rising operational costs. VitVio’s non-intrusive approach to implementing AI monitoring could help overcome traditional barriers to technology adoption in surgical settings.