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UnityAI, a startup aimed at helping hospitals better manage bedside operations, raised a $4 million seed, CEO Edmund Jackson tells Axios exclusively.
Why it matters: Hospitals are struggling to discharge recovering patients to new settings, reducing overall health system capacity.
What's happening: Max Ventures led the round, alongside a co-investment from existing (and largest) backer Whistler Capital.
- Nashville Capital Network and Company Ventures also participated.
- Funds are designed to last 12–18 months as the Nashville-based company grows its R&D team, Jackson says.
How it works: Developed by Jackson, Cody Hall and Jason Parker — all former data scientists at HCA Healthcare — UnityAI uses machine learning and large-language model to streamline daily hospital workflows.
- The patient discharge process, for example, involves moving pieces like post-acute placement, durable medical equipment needs and medication management instruction.
- Using UnityAI's platform, providers can identify specific patient needs and coordinate with other team members quickly to discharge, says Jackson.
What's next: The company is evaluating product market fit with a few large hospital networks in Nashville, Jackson says.
- "We expect to be in tens to dozens of hospitals by the end of the year," he adds.
What they're saying: Max Ventures has seen a lot of decks for new health care AI companies, says partner Ryan Darnell. The UnityAI founders' backgrounds helped it stand out.
- "From his time at HCA, his time in health care, [Jackson] knows exactly what the problem is. He knows exactly how these hospitals operate," Darnell says.
Between the lines: Bed management operations can differ significantly depending on the size and location of a health system, which could make customization and implementation more challenging for UnityAI.
Yes, but: Jackson says that's part of the problem.
- "We believe that there are some standard things that should be implemented in a similar way across hospitals," Jackson says.
- "So we're building a portfolio of playbooks ... which can then be adjusted" using generative AI, he adds.
State of play: Startups deploying AI to streamline and automate hospital operations have attracted investor dollars in recent months.
- Last November, General Catalyst merged portfolio companies Commure and Athelas with a $70 million investment, purporting to create an AI-powered, integrated hospital operating system.
- In January, Artisight raised a $42 million Series B from Nvidia and other undisclosed investors for a smart hospital platform, pairing IoT sensors and machine learning.
- Last October, General Catalyst and Andreessen Horowitz teamed up to back Hippocratic AI, which offers providers AI-patient simulation models to boost medical learning. (Though the company has kept mum on specific applications to date.)
