Mosaic Intelligence Labs, a San Francisco-based medical technology company developing intelligent robotic systems for minimally invasive surgery, has emerged from stealth with $47 million in seed funding. The investment, backed by 8VC, Fundomo, Lingotto Innovation, Obvious Ventures, and other investors, will support the development of sensing-enabled surgical instruments and AI-powered spatial intelligence designed to help physicians navigate the human vascular system.
Mosaic is initially focused on endovascular interventions, procedures in which physicians guide flexible wires and catheters through blood vessels to reach treatment locations inside the body.
These minimally invasive approaches allow clinicians to access internal organs and tissues without requiring the large incisions associated with conventional open surgery.
However, navigating complex vascular pathways remains technically demanding.
Physicians typically rely on a combination of real-time X-ray imaging, preoperative scans, and physical feedback from surgical instruments to determine their position within the body.
Successful navigation often requires extensive training and experience, particularly when treating difficult anatomical conditions.
Mosaic is developing technology intended to give surgical instruments a more comprehensive understanding of their surrounding environment.
The company’s long-term objective is to make advanced surgical capabilities more accessible by translating the expertise of experienced physicians into intelligent systems that can support clinical decision-making.
Building Spatial Intelligence For Endovascular Procedures
Mosaic’s approach combines sensing technology integrated into surgical instruments with computational models capable of interpreting information from inside the body.
The company is developing systems designed to reconstruct vascular anatomy and provide physicians with a continuously updated three-dimensional understanding of instrument location and surrounding structures.
This information will be paired with a robotic interface intended to support precise instrument control.
The technology aims to address a limitation of existing surgical equipment: instruments generally do not maintain an evolving understanding of the anatomy they encounter.
Instead, physicians must interpret imaging and physical feedback themselves and continually adjust their movements.
Mosaic seeks to introduce a closer connection between sensing, spatial understanding, and instrument movement.
Its platform will collect synchronized information involving anatomy, instrument positioning, and physician actions.
The company plans to combine that information with computational models to develop systems capable of learning from surgical experience over time.
Such an approach could help preserve insights from complex procedures and improve how surgical systems respond to changing conditions.
Applying Embodied AI To Surgical Robotics
The technology draws on concepts from embodied artificial intelligence, where intelligent systems interact with and learn from physical environments.
In robotics, a world model represents aspects of an environment and helps a machine anticipate the potential effects of its actions.
Mosaic is applying related principles to surgical instruments operating within the human body.
Its development efforts also draw on the biological concept of umwelt, which describes how an organism perceives its surroundings through its sensory capabilities.
The company believes surgical machines require similar sensing and feedback mechanisms before they can develop more advanced intelligence.
By connecting what instruments sense with how they move and the effects of those movements, Mosaic aims to build an infrastructure for more adaptive surgical systems.
These capabilities remain under development, and the company’s announcement does not establish that its technology has received regulatory authorization for clinical use.
Nevertheless, the approach could eventually support physicians performing technically demanding procedures.
Stanford Research Origins And Future Applications
Mosaic was founded by Dr. Ileana Pirozzi, who serves as CEO, and Dr. Alison “Ali” Kight Mackanic, the company’s CTO.
The founders met during their doctoral studies at Stanford University.
Their research and experience observing surgical procedures highlighted the importance of clinical expertise in navigating complex anatomical structures.
They became interested in how technology could capture and extend that knowledge.
Mosaic’s initial focus on the vascular system reflects the access blood vessels provide to organs and tissues throughout the body.
Catheter-based interventions can deliver drugs, energy, biological therapies, and other treatments directly to specific locations.
Improved navigation capabilities could potentially expand the range of procedures performed through these pathways.
The company believes that better sensing and instrument control could also increase consistency across surgical procedures.
Its broader vision involves developing intelligent surgical machines capable of accumulating knowledge through repeated clinical activities.
Mosaic is expanding its team in San Francisco and recruiting professionals in hardware engineering, sensing, perception, machine learning, and clinical engineering.
The company’s existing team includes individuals who have worked on surgical systems used to treat more than 20 million patients, as well as technologies involving artificial hearts, aerospace systems, and other complex engineering applications.
With $47 million in seed financing, Mosaic Intelligence Labs plans to advance its sensing, robotics, and computational infrastructure while pursuing its goal of helping physicians navigate the human body with greater precision.
KEY QUOTES
“We spent years in operating rooms watching extraordinary people do extraordinary things. But what really stayed with us was just how much depended on knowledge that lived in the hands and minds of the person holding the instrument. We kept returning to one question: what would it take to scale the knowledge of the very best surgeons? We believe that starts with making our machines aware, and turning surgical repetition into experience we can learn from.”
Dr. Ileana Pirozzi, Co-Founder And CEO Of Mosaic Intelligence Labs
“There is no evolving loop between perception and action, and as a result they are structurally locked out of the ability to become intelligent.”
Dr. Alison “Ali” Kight Mackanic, Co-Founder And CTO Of Mosaic Intelligence Labs
