Collision will be bringing together tech companies, entrepreneurs, and world-class speakers in Toronto from June 17 to 20. Dubbed the “Olympics of Tech,” at its core Collision remains a conference for the freshest and brightest business ideas and this year there are outstanding companies from Alberta attending with Innovate Calgary’s support.
Innovate Calgary helps bridge the gap between discovery and innovation for startup companies while operating as a technology transfer and business-incubation centre for the University of Calgary.
We’re highlighting seven companies leading up to Collision. Today our spotlight is on Deep Surface AI.
Company Overview
While the desire for aesthetic improvement is massive, 90% of the medical aesthetics total market remains untapped . The biggest challenge is patients’ fear that the outcomes will look unnatural. Deep Surface AI, a healthcare Software as a Service (SaaS) company, solves this challenge with simulations that let patients “see before they do” on a 3D image of their own face. The company’s mission is to empower better outcomes for patients and providers with personalized, 3D visualizations of the aesthetic possibilities and objectives.
Funding and Development
The company spent four years collaborating with facial surgeons, cosmetic dermatologists, and injectors to develop precise, medically credible simulation tools that make it easy for surgeons to replicate their vision on a 3D computer image. For many procedures, simulation feature design is informed by statistical models of facial variation. The company’s research involved training a machine-learning algorithm on a large database of 3D facial images and resulted in the creation of a high-resolution generative model of 3D facial shape. The goal is to improve facial plastic surgery outcomes by guiding choices through the quantification of aesthetic preference and biological variation in facial form.
Deep Surface AI has received funding from UCeed, a venture philanthropy fund accelerating UCalgary and community-based startup companies to advance problem-solving research, create jobs, and fuel the economy. A key program in the UCalgary innovation ecosystem, UCeed bridges the gap between innovation, demonstration, and commercialization, and is managed by UCalgary’s knowledge-transfer and business incubator, Innovate Calgary.
Expert Leadership
Deep Surface AI was founded by David Katz, Dr. Rahul Seth, J. David Aponte, Tim Cruz, Benedikt Hallgrímsson and Nils Forkert. The leadership team includes experts and academic faculty in medical imaging, biomedical applications of AI and machine learning, and cosmetic surgery. Their collective vision and leadership have been instrumental in driving the company’s success and innovation.
David Katz, the company’s President and CEO, notes, “Innovate Calgary has supported our company from the very beginning – from advising us on company formation, to coaching and training via University of Calgary’s Life Sciences Innovation Hub, to expert mentorship and advice, to fundraising. Literally, without Innovate Calgary, there would be no Deep Surface AI.”
Deep Surface AI is poised to make a significant impact on the field of facial medical aesthetics surgery. The emerging AI-driven 3D facial imaging technology represents a major leap forward in how we visualize and plan cosmetic procedures. It will offer a patient-friendly, accurate solution that can provide valuable insights for surgeons and their patients.
What’s Next?
With the support of Innovate Calgary and the exposure gained from attending Collision, Deep Surface AI is well-positioned to lead the way in this field and drive advancements that will improve surgical outcomes.
Those attending Collision can drop by the University of Calgary booth, powered by Innovate Calgary and the Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking, to connect with Deep Surface AI.
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