In recent years, hospitals and health systems have repeatedly been confronted with a range of financial and operational challenges and are in dire need of automation. On average, 40% of a hospital's expenses go to the operating theater. By harnessing AI-powered solutions, hospitals will save millions of dollars annually, reducing wasted supplies, unplanned costs, and unnecessary readmissions.

VitVio is bringing computer vision and artificial intelligence to surgical operating theaters to improve surgical efficiency, patient outcomes, and hospitals’ ROI. The co-founders Thomas Knox (CEO), Dr. Peter Rennert (CTO), Maks Kozarzewski (COO), Aleks Pajewski (CPO) and their team are uniquely positioned to tackle the major inefficiencies in hospitals today thanks to their deep domain expertise in AI and computer vision. They have experience as executives for leading autonomous retail companies AiFi and Standard AI which have the largest install base globally with partners like Aldi, Dollar General, CircleK, Carrefour, and more.

In the US only, surgical equipment inefficiencies lead to around $1,800 in unplanned costs per surgery, totaling up to $50B annually across over 35,000 operating rooms. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality additionally reports approximately 1.3 million readmissions per year due to surgical complications, costing hospitals an excess of $19.5 billion annually at an average of $15,000 per case. Combined, these issues contribute to a total excess cost of $70 billion annually for US hospitals without including any additional costs caused by knock-on effects, delays, or wastage beyond the operating room (OR).

At LDV Capital, we invest in people building businesses powered by visual technology & artificial intelligence. We thrive on collaborating with deep tech teams leveraging computer vision, machine learning, and artificial intelligence to analyze visual data. We are the only venture capital firm with this thesis since 2012. Join our 11th Annual LDV Vision Summit (free virtual event) on March 25, 2025, to be inspired by cutting-edge computer vision, machine learning and AI solutions that are improving the world we live in!

In 2018, we published the LDV Insights report, “Nine Sectors Where Visual Technologies Will Improve Healthcare by 2028”, examining nine sectors where imaging, computer vision and artificial intelligence will transform medicine and patient care in the next decade. We forecasted that visual technologies will reform patient care in the next 10 years as cameras and sensors will capture and analyze visual data to automate, track, secure and streamline operations.

We are excited to partner and invest in the brilliant VitVio team bringing this vision to life – they are building an AI-driven computer vision platform designed to enhance the safety and efficiency of hospital operating theaters. Through leveraging computer vision algorithms to analyze live video feeds, VitVio’s platform autonomously tracks and analyzes surgical processes and operations in the OR. This helps hospitals perform more surgeries, optimize workflows and improve inventory management to boost overall productivity and ROI.

With cameras and sensors installed in operating theaters and integrated with the hospital’s existing health information systems, VitVio's AI algorithms operate seamlessly, tracking and analyzing every aspect of the surgical procedure—from tool usage and surgical stages to evaluating infection risks. Theater coordinators and hospital administrators benefit from real-time OR analytics, utilizing VitVio's insights for scheduling surgeries more efficiently, planning resource allocation, and making informed decisions to improve overall OR utilization. The platform's analytics also offer valuable feedback for continuous improvement in surgical practices and patient care.

Post-surgery, VitVio provides detailed reports, identifying successes and opportunities for improvement and encouraging continuous learning opportunities. These insights fuel debriefing sessions for surgical teams to review performance, address flagged issues, and plan enhancements. Cumulative data gathered by VitVio aids in understanding surgical operations and guiding evidence-based strategies to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and elevate patient safety.

“By autonomously tracking surgical processes and tools, VitVio minimizes the potential for human error and adds no extra steps to the surgical process, aligning with industry experts' consensus on the importance of non-intrusive technology,” says Thomas Knox, Co-Founder and CEO at VitVio.

Before founding VitVio, Thomas was the Head of Product at AiFi, the leading innovator of autonomous retail store technology. This domain expertise is extremely valuable for his new startup in operating rooms. Thomas has also previously served as the Global Vice President of Product at VusionGroup, overseeing the product portfolio and strategy for core business units ranging from IoT devices to computer vision and AI.

Dr. Peter Rennert, CTO, was previously CTO at ThirdEye Labs, leveraging computer vision & AI for in-store data analysis, which was acquired by Standard AI. Peter has a PhD in computer science from UCL and was a computer vision engineer at Siemens Healthcare. Maks Kozarzewski, COO, has previously led the UK's top-ranked Hyperloop Team and developed medical devices. He's been featured as Forbes 30 Under 30 and is the Royal Academy of Engineering Leaders Scholar. Aleks Pajewski, CPO, Forbes 30 Under 30, worked with Thomas at AiFi as a product manager, leading the vision, strategy and development of various product groups.

VitVio has also announced their pilot program with the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital (ROH), one of the UK's three leading medical institutions in orthopedic care and “one of the best hospitals in the world.”

We at LDV Capital led their $2M pre-seed round with participation from Bek Ventures (ex-Earlybird), Tiny Supercomputer Investment Company, and angel investors. The new funding will be used to extend the capabilities of VitVio's platform and deploy the technology at partner hospitals. VitVio’s real-time AI-powered platform will exponentially increase operating room ROI and safety for hospitals while hopefully positively impacting patient care. VitVio will deliver a leapfrog technical solution to operating theaters by leveraging computer vision and artificial intelligence which have been a core expertise of our LDV Capital firm since being founded in 2012.

This article was written in collaboration with Ash Cleary, an associate at LDV Capital.