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Activ Surgical

Powering the Future of Surgery

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Activ Surgical Welcomes Prof. Dr. Rainer Kimmig to its European Advisory Board

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Media Contact:

Heath Meyer

heath@teamseismic.com

858-768-1527

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Leading gynecologist and obstetrician at the West German Cancer Center bolsters digital surgery pioneer’s world-class Advisory Board

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BOSTON and ESSEN, GERMANY – February 16, 2021 — Activ Surgical™, a digital surgery pioneer, today announced the appointment of Prof. Dr. Rainer Kimmig to its European Advisory Board. Prof. Dr. Kimmig currently serves as the department head of Gynecology and Obstetrics at the West German Cancer Center at the University Hospital Essen, Germany, as well as the Chair and full professor at the University of Duisburg-Essen. In his role on Activ Surgical’s European Advisory Board, Prof. Dr. Kimmig will collaborate with his peers from leading hospital systems across the European Union (EU) to advise on the company’s go-to-market efforts for its products, including ActivSight™, an imaging module that works seamlessly with any installed visualization system to provide real-time intraoperative visual data and images not currently available to surgeons through existing technologies. ActivSight is expected to be commercially available in 2021.

“I am honored to be a part of the Activ Surgical European Advisory Board and look forward to working with my esteemed colleagues and the Activ Surgical leadership team to help democratize surgical care around the world,” said Prof. Dr. Kimmig. “The potential impact for Activ Surgical’s technology in the operating room is significant as patient care and safety is always my number one priority. I am excited to provide input and guidance on the company’s product development efforts and to revolutionize surgical systems in the year ahead.”

Prof. Dr. Kimmig’s impressive career spans more than three decades, with deep expertise in the areas of gynecology, gynecologic oncology, obstetrics, perinatology and special gynecological surgery. He graduated from the University of Munich’s School of Medicine in 1984 and his work has been published in more than 750 medical papers. His papers are highly recognized reflected by an h-Index above 50. He conducted his postdoctoral training at the University of Munchen (LMU) in the department of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Prof. Dr. Kimmig is currently President of the Society of European Robotic Gynecological Surgery (SERGS), and he currently serves as Secretary and Treasurer elect for the International Gynecologic Cancer Society (IGCS). He is also Member of the “Society of Pelvic Surgeons.”

“We are honored that Prof. Dr. Kimmig has agreed to join Activ Surgical’s European Advisory Board,” said Holger Schipper, Vice President and General Manager of European Operations for Activ Surgical. “His unique expertise in gynecology, obstetrics, perinatology and special gynecological surgery will have an immediate impact on our product rollout and commercialization efforts and in delivering world-class patient care around the world.”

Activ Surgical announced the formation of its European Advisory Board in November of 2020. Prof. Dr. Kimmig joins the founding members on the Board, which include Prof. Dr. Nicole Bouvy, PD Dr. Hans Fuchs, Prof. Dr. Kai Nowak, PD Dr. Benjamin Weixler, and Prof. Dr. Luigi Boni. The Advisory Board will help the company to grow visibility and demand for ActivSight and the ActiveEdge platform, which will enable collaborative and, in the future, autonomous surgery through the integration of computer vision, artificial intelligence and robotics. The hardware-agnostic platform enables existing surgical systems, from scopes to robots, to visualize, characterize and track tissue in real-time beyond today’s human capability.

For more information on Activ Surgical, its Advisory Board and technologies, please visit https://www.activsurgical.com/#about.

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About Activ Surgical

ActivSurgical, the company that completed the world’s first autonomous robotic surgery of soft tissue, is building hardware-agnostic surgical software that allows surgical systems to collaborate with surgeons. Activ Surgical’s patent-protected surgical software platform reduces unintended and preventable surgical complications by enhancing a surgeon’s intra-operative decision making. Activ Surgical is privately held, and backed by DNS Capital, GreatPoint Ventures (GPV), Artis Ventures, TaoCapital Partners, LRVHealth, Rising Tide VC, SONY Innovation Fund and 8VC. More information can be found at www.activsurgical.com.

Activ Surgical Joins Microsoft for Startups Program

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Media Contact:

Heath Meyer

heath@teamseismic.com

858-768-1527

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Digital surgery innovator becomes newest member of technology leader’s incubator program aimed at helping scale B2B startups

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BOSTON — February 5, 2021 — Activ Surgical™, a digital surgery pioneer, today announced it has been named the newest member of Microsoft for Startups–a global program that helps B2B startups successfully scale. As a member in the program, Activ Surgical will have exclusive access to Microsoft’s technologies, including Azure, as well as a streamlined path to selling alongside Microsoft and its global partner ecosystem.

Activ Surgical’s participation in the program and collaboration with Microsoft will help increase opportunities for hospitals and healthcare systems in the U.S. and in global markets to use its newly announced ActivEdge™ platform. ActivEdge is an artificial intelligence (AI) and machine-learning (ML) hardware agnostic platform that enables existing surgical systems to see in real-time what humans cannot currently see, including blood flow.

ActivSight, the company’s first product to launch from ActivEdge, provides real-time views of blood perfusion without the need for the injection of dyes, as well as allowing for fluorescing of indocyanine green (ICG) dye. It works dynamically and seamlessly with any installed visualization system to provide real-time intraoperative visual data and images not currently available to surgeons through existing technologies. ActivSight has been submitted for FDA clearance and is expected to be commercially available in 2021.

“We are thrilled to be joining the Microsoft for Startups program,” said Tom Calef, Chief Technology Officer, Activ Surgical. “Our participation in the program comes at a critical time in our company’s history as we prepare for the commercialization of our first product, ActivSight, later this year. And, given that our ActivEdge platform is currently powered by Microsoft Azure, we will now have expanded access to resources, capabilities and ecosystem partners that will ensure the success of go-to-market rollout.”

“Activ Surgical’s mission–to save lives and improve patient safety and outcomes by reducing surgical errors in the operating room–is bold and represents the types of companies we want to align with as part of our startup program,” said Sally Frank, WW Lead, Health & Life Sciences, Microsoft for Startups. “Activ Surgical has the potential to improve surgical care and improve patient safety around the world, and we look forward to playing a significant role in serving our joint customers.

For more information on Activ Surgical and its technologies, please visit https://www.activsurgical.com/#about. For more information on the Microsoft for Startups Program, please visit https://startups.microsoft.com/en-us/.

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About Activ Surgical

ActivSurgical, the company that completed the world’s first autonomous robotic surgery of soft tissue, is building hardware-agnostic surgical software that allows surgical systems to collaborate with surgeons. Activ Surgical’s patent-protected surgical software platform reduces unintended and preventable surgical complications by enhancing a surgeon’s intra-operative decision making. Activ Surgical is privately held, and backed by DNS Capital, GreatPoint Ventures (GPV), Artis Ventures, TaoCapital Partners, LRVHealth, Rising Tide VC, SONY Innovation Fund and 8VC. More information can be found at www.activsurgical.com.

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Priv.-Doz. Dr. med. Hans Fuchs writes on promise of Activ Sight in article published in Der Chirurg

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Alexander Urbanski · Benjamin Babic · Wolfgang Schröder · Lars Schiffmann · Dolores T. Müller · Christiane J. Bruns · Hans F. Fuchs

Department and Polyclinic for General, Visceral, Tumor and Transplant Surgery, University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany

Surgery

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00104-020-01317-1

© Springer Medical Publishing LLC, a part of Springer Nature 2020

Editor

C.J. Bruns, Cologne

Heather Mannila Joins Activ Surgical as Vice President of Finance

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Media Contact:

Heath Meyer

heath@teamseismic.com

858-768-1527

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Accomplished MedTech leader to spearhead burgeoning startup’s financial and operational organizations
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BOSTON — December 17, 2020 — Activ Surgical™, a digital surgery pioneer, today announced the appointment of Heather Mannila as Vice President of Finance. With more than 20 years of accounting, financial planning and analysis, sales operations and manufacturing experience in the medical device industry, Mannila will oversee Activ Surgical’s finance organization and support its international growth and expansion.

“Heather’s track record in finance and the MedTech industry is exceptional,” said Todd Usen, Chief Executive Officer, Activ Surgical. “She brings a wealth of financial leadership and deep relationships that will have an immediate impact on our business and growth. We are thrilled to have Heather on the Activ Surgical leadership team.” 

Prior to joining Activ Surgical, Mannila served as Controller for the North American Implants and Wellspect Healthcare Divisions at Dentsply Sirona, where she was tasked with transforming and managing all business operations for the $200M segment and managed a 25-person organization. From 2013-2016, she served as the Director of Finance for Beaver-Visitec International, guiding a 12-person team on the day-to-day operations of U.S. finance and accounting, including budgeting, FP&A, sales operations and other key areas. Mannila earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Bryant University.

“I am honored to join Activ Surgical and believe strongly in the company’s mission to reduce surgical errors, increase patient safety and democratize world-class surgery across the globe,” said Mannila. “Activ Surgical is well positioned for continued rapid growth as it brings its pioneering technology to the market in 2021 and solves some very complex challenges in the operating room.” 

For more information about Activ Surgical, please visit www.activsurgical.com.

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About Activ Surgical

ActivSurgical, the company that completed the world’s first autonomous robotic surgery of soft tissue, is building hardware-agnostic surgical software that allows surgical systems to collaborate with surgeons. Activ Surgical’s patent-protected surgical software platform reduces unintended and preventable surgical complications by enhancing a surgeon’s intra-operative decision making. Activ Surgical is privately held, and backed by DNS Capital, GreatPoint Ventures (GPV), Artis Ventures, TaoCapital Partners, LRVHealth, Rising Tide VC, SONY Innovation Fund and 8VC. More information can be found at www.activsurgical.com.

Dr. Matthew Kalady Joins Activ Surgical Advisory Board

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Media Contact:

Heath Meyer

heath@teamseismic.com

858-768-1527

‍

Ohio State University’s Chief of Colon and Rectal Surgery joins Advisory Board at surgical intelligence startup focused on democratizing surgical care

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BOSTON – December 11, 2020 — Activ Surgical™, a digital surgery pioneer, today announced that Dr. Matthew Kalady, Chief of the Colon and Rectal Surgery Division at the Ohio State University College of Medicine, has joined Activ Surgical’s Advisory Board. The Activ Surgical Advisory Board is comprised of the foremost experts spanning various areas of surgical specialty, and is instrumental in advising the company on product strategy and development.

“We are thrilled to have Dr. Kalady, a proven expert and leader in the field of colorectal surgery, join our Advisory Board,” said Todd Usen, Chief Executive Officer, Activ Surgical. “He is a highly regarded surgeon focused on providing best-in-class patient care and dedicated to improving patient outcomes, which is directly aligned with our corporate mission. His expertise will be invaluable to Activ Surgical in providing insights on the use of our products in colorectal surgery, which is one of our initial areas of focus as we move toward commercial availability of our first product, ActivSight.”

Dr. Kalady is board certified by the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgeons and the American Board of Surgery. A longtime expert in colorectal surgery, he currently serves as Chief of the Colon and Rectal Surgery Division at the Ohio State University College of Medicine and was previously Vice-Chairman of the Department of Colorectal Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic. He joined the Cleveland Clinic in 2006, and held a variety of leadership roles there, including Co-director of the Comprehensive Colorectal Cancer Program; Director for the National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer Team; Director for the Sanford R. Weiss, MD, Center for Hereditary Colorectal Neoplasia; James Church, MD, and Edward J. Bartolo, Jr. Family Endowed Chair in Colorectal Surgery; and Professor of Surgery.

“I’m excited to join the respected group of clinicians and experts on Activ Surgical’s Advisory Board, and I look forward to working with Todd and the leadership team,” said Dr. Matthew Kalady. “I am confident that Activ Surgical’s innovative platform and collaborative approach will not only improve patient outcomes and safety, but revolutionize the surgical field.”

In addition to these leadership roles, Dr. Kalady is a National Cancer Institute/National Institutes of Health-funded researcher in colorectal cancer genetics. He has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed publications and has served as an editor for colorectal surgery textbooks. He is a member of the American Surgical Association, the Society of Clinical Surgery and the Commission on Cancer, and serves as Chair of the International Society for Gastrointestinal Hereditary Tumours (InSiGHT). He is also a fellow of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, as well as the American College of Surgeons. He serves on the editorial boards of Diseases of the Colon & Rectum, Annals of Surgery and British Journal of Surgery. Dr. Kalady earned his M.D from the Duke University School of Medicine and completed his surgical residency and a research fellowship at Duke University Medical Center. Additionally, he completed a colorectal surgery residency at the Cleveland Clinic. He also holds a B.A. from Harvard University.

Dr. Kalady joins the following esteemed individuals on the Activ Surgical Advisory Board:

  • Dr. Uma Duvvuri, Director of Robotic Head & Neck Surgery; Assistant Professor, Department of Otolaryngology, UPMC.
  • John Galeotti, PhD., Director of the Biomedical Image Guidance Laboratory, Carnegie Mellon University (CMU).
  • Dr. Adrian Park, Chairman of the Department of Surgery, Anne Arundel Medical Center; Professor of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
  • Dr. Vipul Patel, Medical Director, Global Robotics Institute, Advent Health; Founding member of Society of Robotics Surgery.
  • Dr. Steven Schwaitzberg, Professor and Chairman – Department of Surgery, University at Buffalo.
  • Dr. Erik Wilson, Medical Director of Bariatric Surgery, Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center; Professor in the Department of Surgery, University of Texas Medical School at Houston; Director, Minimally Invasive Surgeons of Texas (MIST).

For more information on ActivSurgical, please visit https://www.activsurgical.com/#about.

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About Activ Surgical

ActivSurgical, the company that completed the world’s first autonomous robotic surgery of soft tissue, is building hardware-agnostic surgical software that allows surgical systems to collaborate with surgeons. Activ Surgical’s patent-protected surgical software platform reduces unintended and preventable surgical complications by enhancing a surgeon’s intra-operative decision making. Activ Surgical is privately held, and backed by DNS Capital, GreatPoint Ventures (GPV), Artis Ventures, TaoCapital Partners, LRVHealth, Rising Tide VC, SONY Innovation Fund and 8VC. More information can be found at www.activsurgical.com.

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