Israeli AI Firm Ultra-Sight Raises $24 Million for Cardiac Ultrasound Guidance System

Israeli medical AI company Ultra-Sight has secured $24 million in a funding round, bringing its total raised capital to $42 million since its inception. The funds are earmarked for expanding commercial operations in the United States and further developing its AI system, which guides medical teams during cardiac ultrasound procedures.

The funding round was led by Alive HealthTech Growth Fund and included participation from Deep Insight, Star51 Capital, Connecticut Innovations, and eHealth Ventures. Existing investors such as Mayo Clinic Ventures, NYU, and Iron Nation also participated.

Ultra-Sight's AI system assists operators in real-time by providing guidance on transducer positioning and orientation, helping them achieve optimal cardiac views. This technology aims to enable healthcare professionals, even those without extensive sonographer expertise, to perform focused cardiac scans, particularly in critical care settings where immediate imaging is needed and specialized sonographers may not be readily available. The company emphasizes that its system is not intended to replace cardiologists or full echocardiogram examinations but rather to enhance the speed and accessibility of preliminary cardiac imaging.

In December 2023, Ultra-Sight received an updated 510(k) clearance from the FDA for its UltraSight Guidance system, allowing its use by non-expert medical professionals for acquiring standard 2D cardiac ultrasound views in adults. Recent studies have demonstrated the system's effectiveness, with one study showing that nine novice operators, after four hours of training, successfully performed focused cardiac ultrasounds on 995 patients with the AI guidance, with 96.6% of the scans deemed suitable for automated analysis.

With 25 employees, 19 of whom are based in Israel, Ultra-Sight is now focusing on commercial deployment in the U.S. market. The company's business model involves software that integrates with existing ultrasound machines. The new funding will support the expansion into more U.S. hospitals and the development of additional clinical applications, aiming to prove that broadening the pool of personnel capable of performing ultrasounds translates into time savings and improved workflow in hospital departments.