Vantari, a virtual reality startup that builds “flight simulator” software for doctors and nurses, has officially moved its headquarters to Seattle as it ramps up work with health systems and device makers across North America.
CEO and co‑founder Nishanth Krishnananthan relocated from Australia to Seattle two years ago and recently officially established the company’s headquarters in the Emerald City.
The inspiration for Vantari came from his own experience as a surgical doctor in Australia and seeing how poorly procedural training prepared clinicians for real emergencies. He wondered why healthcare didn’t use the same training tactics as the aviation industry.
Founded in 2017, Vantari now works with more than 50 organizations in North America, Australia, and the UK. Customers include major academic medical centers such as Harvard, Yale, and Mount Sinai, and the company has established new “centers of excellence” with Seattle University and the University of Washington’s anesthesiology department.
Hospitals and universities use off‑the‑shelf Meta/Oculus headsets connected to laptops. Clinicians log in, select their specialty and procedure, and then perform the steps in a fully virtual environment mapped to college and best‑practice guidelines. An AI facilitator inside the headset guides users step‑by‑step, answers questions, and scores performance, while supervisors can later review the logged session data.
VR controllers mimic the feel of inserting catheters, puncturing tissue, and adjusting equipment. Vital signs change dynamically in response to each action.
The company has a library of procedures, ranging from anesthesia to critical care to cardiology. It has also patented an ultrasound system inside VR that allows trainees to perform imaging and guidance as part of the procedure. Many scenarios are co‑developed with device makers such as Boston Scientific, JNJ, and Sonosite.
Vantari’s business runs on a B2B SaaS model, offering annual licenses and hardware bundles. Vantari also signs contracts with medical device and pharmaceutical companies, which co‑develop modules on the platform and design virtual versions of their devices. A third revenue stream comes from industry and accrediting bodies that co‑develop content.
To date, Vantari has raised about $7 million, largely from Australian VCs, family offices and high‑net‑worth doctors and physicians. Last year it raised $2 million from Seattle‑area backers SpringRock VC and Alliance of Angels.
Krishnananthan said the move to Seattle makes it easier to serve U.S. customers and attract additional capital from American investors. He also pointed to the strength of local tech giants and medical institutions — including Amazon, Microsoft, Seattle University and the University of Washington — as well as nearby medical device firms.
The team is roughly 18 people, split about 50/50 between Australia and the U.S., with most employees working remotely.
Looking ahead, Vantari wants to go beyond static content and is building an AI scenario builder that would let hospitals generate their own protocols and procedures on the platform. Krishnananthan’s long‑term vision is to use the interaction data it collects to create what he calls a “Google Maps of surgery,” offering live, mixed‑reality guidance during real procedures so clinicians receive step‑by‑step support at the bedside, rather than just training in a headset.
“That’s like the big North Star that I want to get to,” he said. “It’s a lot more accessible now with the technology advancements that are happening.”
Read the full article here
