Osso VR raises $27M to train surgeons via simulations

Osso VR has raised $27 million to train doctors and other medical professionals using virtual reality surgery simulations.

San Francisco-based Osso VR said its virtual reality surgical training and assessment platform has been validated at numerous hospitals as a training tool for surgeons.

GSR Ventures led the second institutional round of funding, with participation from SignalFire, Kaiser Permanente Ventures, OCA Ventures, Scrum Ventures, Leslie Ventures, and Anorak Ventures.

Osso VR’s surgical training technology provides on-demand, educational experiences that are effective, repeatable, and measurable to help surgeons reach proficiency with emerging surgical techniques and technologies, the company said.

Pandemic growth

Above: Surgeons use hand controllers in simulated surgery in VR.

Image Credit: Osso VR

Osso VR grew rapidly during 2020 to meet the increased demand in virtual training driven by the pandemic. The company says it works with industry leaders like Johnson & Johnson, Stryker, and Smith & Nephew to ensure that patients have safe access to the highest-value procedures.

As part of the recent growth, the company recently expanded into additional specialties, including orthopedics, endoscopy, interventional procedures, and more. Osso VR has more than 120 modules and 10 specialties in its surgical training library.

Sunny Kumar, a partner at GSR Ventures, said in a statement that Osso VR is poised to transform how surgeons are trained on new devices and surgical procedures. He said the Osso platform’s level of immersion provides an experience that mirrors the operating room in a manner more efficient, accessible, and effective than any surgical training platform that’s come before.

Osso VR’s platform has high visual fidelity to ensure that every aspect of surgery, from anatomical detail to the OR environment, enhances the training experience. Osso VR employs the world’s largest medical illustration team and alums from Industrial Light & Magic, Electronic Arts, Microsoft, and Apple.

Lots of training

Above: A surgical team in Osso VR.

Image Credit: Osso VR

With nearly 30,000 training sessions completed on the platform, working out to an average of 22,000 minutes of training a month, Osso VR’s platform is proven to significantly affect surgical performance. In two recent randomized peer-reviewed studies, surgeons training with Osso VR showed anywhere from a 230% to a 306% improvement in overall surgical performance compared to traditional training.

Osso VR is available in more than 20 countries, and all top five orthopedic medical device companies are using Osso VR as their VR training partner. The platform is available in multiple languages including English, Japanese, Spanish, German, and French. And it is being used in more than 20 global hospital residency programs, including Brown University, Hospital for Special Surgery, Johns Hopkins University, and Rush University.

Justin Barad, a doctor and the CEO of Osso VR, said in a statement that the team combines experts from health care, technology, movies, and gaming to improve patient outcomes, accelerate the adoption of more effective surgical technologies, and democratize access to education.