AI startup aims to turn surgical wisdom into scalable surgical team guidance

Editor's Note

German health technology startup Medical Decision Alliance (MDA) has raised €3.3 million in seed funding to teach AI systems to think like top surgeons, leveraging human-like clinical intuition to guide OR teams. Tech Funding News reported the development May 22.

As detailed in the article, which is focused largely on the company’s vision and the potential of its technology, MDA is focused on capturing the workflows and judgment of top surgeons. This data feeds adaptive software systems that assist intraoperative decision-making and accelerate training.

For example, the startup’s flagship tool, the Virtual Proctor, uses AI to analyze real-time surgical data—such as EHR feeds and robotic sensor inputs—to deliver workflow- and patient-specific guidance during procedures. By learning from thousands of past cases, the software can predict complications and prompt teams to take preemptive steps.

The company’s founders—Dr. Gunter Trojandt, Annett Christ, and Daniel Bauer—previously built the Surgical Process Institute, acquired by Johnson & Johnson in 2017. As reported, MDA’s systems go beyond traditional decision support tools by offering adaptive, explainable algorithms built in collaboration with surgeons and medtech manufacturers.

The article notes that MDA’s Virtual Proctor also functions as a 24/7 digital training platform, offering access to expert surgical techniques, annotated videos, and clinical protocols. It’s designed to serve both surgeons in training and device companies demonstrating tools in use. This dual-purpose setup makes it especially valuable in underserved regions, where mentorship and advanced surgical instruction are limited.

According to the outlet, the startup plans to double its team and expand its partnerships with medical device companies and surgeons across specialties. Another emphasis is reducing bias, which the company aims to accomplish with a reference database containing input from surgeons with diverse backgrounds and expertise as well as explanations for the system’s decision-making rationale.