Zeta Surgical raises $5.2M in seed funding

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Zeta is testing its system for emergency neurological procedures. | Source: Zeta Surgical

Zeta Surgical raised $5.2 million in seed funding. The Boston-based company seeks to improve the accuracy, safety and accessibility of image-guided surgical procedures.

Innospark Ventures, a Boston-based venture capital firm, led the funding round. Innospark has invested in other medical technology companies, like Javelin Biotech and Encora Therapeutics, among others. TSVC, Y Combinator, Trevor Fetter and others also participated in the funding round.

The company plans to use the funding to finish developing Zeta, its neurosurgical navigation platform, and ZetaFUS, its non-invasive ultrasound system. It will also complete initial clinical studies to obtain FDA clearance and expand its technical and clinical teams. Zeta Surgical has already completed pre-surgical studies in Boston and in Singapore.

“To date, the use of surgical guidance has been limited to long, operating room-based interventions, due to its invasiveness and complex deployment. Our goal is to provide physicians with a robust, fast, and accurate guidance system deployable during any case, irrespective of where they are in the hospital or what hospital they are in,” Jose Amich, co-founder and CEO of Zeta Surgical, said. “We’re thrilled to be partnering with such a strong group of investors who are aligned with our mission to improve access to safe and effective surgery.”

Zeta uses computer vision and artificial intelligence to allow surgeons to operate at the point-of-care on fully awake patients. Right now, the system is being developed for treating neurological emergencies, brain cancer and neuromotor disorders.

When in use, Zeta will include a mixed reality overlay that helps surgeons determine minimally invasive surgery procedures. It uses an off-the-shelf Doosan robotic arm and proprietary tools to perform procedures.

“The Zeta AI-driven surgical platform will take the guesswork out of some of the most routine, yet highly consequential, aspects of acute neurological procedures. With physician precision in mind and patient comfort at the forefront, Zeta Surgical will be a gamechanger for procedures both common and uncommon, acute, and pre-planned, and in settings both urban and rural,” Dr. Venkat Srinivasan, managing director of Innospark Ventures, said. “We are very excited to support them. As a fund that places a heavy emphasis on AI for good, we are also incredibly excited to see what this technology can do for those who need it most around the world.”

The company was founded in 2018 by Jose Amich and Raahil Sha, both graduates from Harvard University.