Startup Founder Leverages Cinema Tech Insights to Transform the Future of Operating Rooms

Phillip Mohabir, co-founder and CEO of Vivo Surgery, transitioned from revolutionizing the cinematic experience at IMAX to transforming surgical education and practices. His experience at IMAX, where he helped digitize film projection and optimize operations, led him to recognize that surgical training was long overdue for innovation.

Mohabir observed that while surgical techniques had advanced, the education and training of surgeons had remained static for decades. At IMAX, the digitization process not only improved visual quality but also generated data that informed decision-making. He envisioned a similar transformation in surgery, where better data could revolutionize training and improve outcomes.

The inception of Vivo Surgery occurred during the COVID-19 lockdowns. Mohabir’s co-founder, neurosurgeon Dr. Aleksa Cenic, needed a solution for students to virtually shadow surgeries due to hospital restrictions. Interviews with over 30 surgeons revealed that the barriers to surgical exposure existed well before the pandemic, indicating a systemic issue in surgical training.

Vivo Surgery’s platform allows remote viewing of surgeries in high definition, with surgeons narrating real-time procedures for medical staff and observers. This interactive format not only enhances learning but also collects valuable data. Using Google Cloud's technology, Vivo is developing AI tools to annotate surgeries in real-time, which may improve clinical documentation, training methodologies, and post-operative analyses.

Surgical complications lead to substantial costs in the healthcare sector, with the U.S. facing $52.4 billion in annual readmissions, a significant portion of which stem from surgery. Mohabir aims to harness insights gained during surgeries to identify patients at risk of readmission, allowing for proactive management that could prevent costly complications.

Vivo Surgery plans to expand rapidly by integrating its technology within existing medical device platforms, facilitating quicker adoption. Mohabir emphasized that this integration allows for immediate visibility in numerous hospitals, which can expedite the learning and implementation of their platform. Additionally, agreements with Ontario research hospitals for internal training and research are underway to expand their reach.

Based in Hamilton, Vivo has benefited from the Southern Ontario startup ecosystem, participating in multiple accelerator programs that have bolstered its growth. Mohabir credits these accelerators for building essential trust and facilitating introductions that have driven early sales.

Despite the challenges of marketing to hospitals—where decision processes can be slow due to complex procurement systems—Vivo Surgery is raising a pre-seed round to enhance outreach and accelerate deployment efforts.

Mohabir's journey as a first-time founder has taught him that trust is fundamental in business. He emphasizes that even the best products require strong relationships to succeed. His shift from film to surgery illustrates a significant opportunity for innovation in an industry ripe for change, where the application of technology can profoundly affect training and patient outcomes. With Vivo Surgery, Mohabir aims to reshape how surgeons learn and operate, leveraging modern technology to foster improvements in surgical education and patient care.