ST. LOUIS – SentiAR, Inc. has closed a $1.1M Seed Round to accelerate its work to revolutionize the operating room with augmented reality software designed to improve visualization in cardiac surgeries and other interventional procedures.
SentiAR was established based on technology developed at Washington University in St. Louis by Dr. Jennifer Silva, Pediatric Cardiologist, and Dr. Jonathan Silva, Assistant Professor of BioMedical Engineering. Jim Howard serves as CEO.
“Visualization in interventional surgeries is always a challenge since the patient is closed,” Howard said. “We have a highly talented team aligned with our mission to revolutionize these procedures in cardiology and beyond with real-time holograms of the patient’s anatomy floating over the patient as the clinician operates.”
Using the SentiAR technology, through a headset, physicians can view 3D holographic images of the patient’s heart during medical procedures, giving operating physicians complete, real-time, visual control, thus reducing operating time and radiation exposure to clinicians, and potentially improving outcomes for patients. Human procedural testing began this summer.
Local investors BioGenerator and Cultivation Capital co-led the round backing this St. Louis-grown company. Additional investors include Pinpoint Holdings and Oakland Capital Partners. As part of the financing, William Schmidt, Cultivation Capital Managing Partner, and Charlie Bolten, Vice President of BioGenerator, joined the company’s board of directors.
“We are thrilled and honored to participate in the financing,” said Cultivation Capital Managing Partner Bill Schmidt. “SentiAR’s technology is truly remarkable and can dramatically improve visualization for ablation procedures, which will have numerous benefits.”
BioGenerator, the investment arm of BioSTL that creates, grows, and invests in promising companies and entrepreneurs, helped launch SentiAR by awarding its founders $48,000 in pre-company grants to help them further demonstrate the technology, pursue non-dilutive grant funding, understand regulatory requirements, conduct market research, and develop an intellectual property strategy. BioGenerator subsequently invested $400,000 in the current offering.
“SentiAR’s founders made great progress in technical, business and team development over the last year,” Harry Arader, BioGenerator Director of Entrepreneur Development, said. “We are pleased to see our coaching work in the pre-funding phase help advance them to the point of this financing.”
“SentiAR represents the latest BioGenerator company to emerge from the world-class research and entrepreneurial culture at Washington University,” Eric Gulve, BioGenerator President, said. “The company joins Cardialen, Tioma, Unleash Immuno Oncolytics, ePharmix, Canopy BioSciences, NeuroLutions, and other promising startups in BioGenerator’s portfolio where the seminal discoveries or other major contributions were developed at Washington University.”
This current investment round will allow SentiAR to bring on talent, refine its prototype device, and complete further pilot clinical tests.
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