See-Mode Technologies, a medical imaging start-up using artificial intelligence and computational modelling, today announced a US$1 million seed financing round led by Singapore’s Cocoon Capital alongside SGInnovate and Australia-based Blackbird Ventures. See-Mode is an alumnus of talent investor, Entrepreneur First, in Singapore.
See-Mode was co-founded in 2017 by Dr. Milad Mohammadzadeh and Dr. Sadaf Monajemi, both biomedical engineering PhDs. The company is developing a suite of medical software based on the team’s proprietary mix of computer vision, artificial intelligence and computational modelling. See-Mode equips clinicians with the tools needed to accurately and efficiently predict and preemptively treat stroke with a potential to save millions of lives globally. See-Mode has clinical collaborations in Singapore with the National University Hospital, Changi General Hospital and the National Neuroscience Institute of Singapore. The company is also starting a multi-centre clinical study with leading hospitals in Australia and USA.
“See-Mode is a perfect example of how artificial intelligence is driving next-generation healthcare that will lead to a drastic increase in life expectancy alongside significantly reduced treatment costs”, said Will Klippgen, Managing Partner at Cocoon Capital. “We are very impressed with the multidisciplinary background of the team and how they came up with a solution that is already creating strong interest in all corners of the world”, added Mr. Klippgen who recently joined See-Mode’s board of directors.
While stroke is the second leading cause of death and the first cause of preventable disability in the world, its treatment planning mostly relies on tracking conventional risk factors. According to the World Health Organization, 15 million people suffer stroke worldwide each year. Of these, 5 million die and another 5 million are permanently disabled. Using the power of deep learning, computational modelling, and cloud computing, See-Mode’s medical software suite enables doctors to obtain critical stroke risk factors that are currently inaccessible in clinical practice. This is achieved by analysing routinely collected ultrasound, CT, and MRI images without needing additional imaging or changing the existing workflow.
Through See-Mode’s suite of medical software, clinicians can save time, objectively interpret ultrasound images, and assess blood flow patterns in patients based on a routine CT scan or MRI. Furthermore, See-Mode provides doctors with the ability to detect vulnerable plaques, setting the precedence for creating better stroke screening and treatment planning.
“Entrepreneur First invested in Sadaf and Milad as two talented individuals. We’ve always believed in the potential for deep tech companies created by outstanding individuals to build breakthrough technology companies which change the world. That’s what See-Mode is doing by giving hospitals a new way to strike back at the heart of one of the world’s most crippling medical conditions – strokes. We’ve backed them from the beginning, and are excited to see the success that comes next”, said Alice Bentinck, Co-founder of Entrepreneur First.
“Artificial Intelligence has many potential uses, but one of the most compelling is in the area of healthcare. Giving medical professionals the ability to better predict possible problems before they happen in an effort to lessen the risks of those problems is a powerful goal,” said Steve Leonard, Founding CEO of SGInnovate. He added: “See-Mode’s combination of machine vision and fluid dynamics is creating a new set of tools that doctors can use for the diagnosis of a person’s risk of stroke. The SGInnovate team has believed in the founders of See-Mode from the very beginning and we are proud to support their vision of improving clinical outcomes relating to stroke for patients around the world.”
“This venture, further backed by Australia-based Blackbird Ventures, has been making steady strides towards getting their products to the market, and is working closely with hospitals in Singapore and Australia”, said Niki Scevak, Partner at Blackbird Ventures. He added: “See-Mode is ushering in a new world where we can harness the collective intelligence of the medical community and ensure that it is able to be employed systematically via computers on every patient whose life has been affected by a stroke.”