Montréal-based medical technology startup Scopia Surgical has closed a $2.65 million CAD pre-seed funding round to advance its artificial intelligence-powered navigation software for robotic surgery. The oversubscribed convertible note round was announced Tuesday and brings the company's total funding to more than $3 million. Scopia plans to use the capital to grow its team, accelerate product development, and begin first clinical validation studies in Canada and the United States.
Pre-seed round and investor base
The financing was co-led by Anges Québec and Linearis Ventures, a life sciences-focused firm headquartered in Québec City. Other participants included Investissement Québec's Fonds Impulsion, Toronto-based physician angel group HaloHealth, Intelerad co-founder Richard Rubin, and MyHealth Centre co-founder Suresh Madan. The financing closed last month and provides Scopia with financial resources and strategic guidance from investors who have built and scaled life sciences companies.
Product development and team expansion
Scopia currently employs seven people and will use the new capital to hire additional clinical and engineering staff. The company is also accelerating product development for its flagship Scopia Surgical Navigation platform while preparing for initial commercialization. These investments are intended to move the startup from early stage development toward a cross-border regulatory pipeline and early commercialization.
Technology for real-time surgical navigation
Scopia Surgical is building a real-time software platform that combines spatial intelligence with patient-specific digital twins to guide surgeons during minimally invasive soft-tissue procedures. The technology is designed for gynecological, urologic, and colorectal robotic surgeries, where the anatomical detail from preoperative CT and MRI scans is no longer visible once the operation begins. By acting like a GPS, the platform aims to reduce misidentification and localization errors that can lead to complications in minimally invasive surgery.
Clinical validation and regulatory strategy
The new funding will support first clinical evaluations at the CHUM and the Jewish General Hospital in Montréal, as well as at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Scopia is focused on generating peer-reviewed data to support upcoming regulatory filings and early commercial licensing. The company also aims to obtain 510(k) clearance from the United States Food and Drug Administration as a Class 2 medical product within the next 24 months.
Leadership and investor confidence
Scopia was founded in 2024 by CEO Gabriel Rivest and CTO Sébastien Delorme, who bring deep experience in surgical robotics to the company. Rivest believes the industry has built the physical body and arms of robotic systems and now needs intelligent software to serve as the brain. Manon Boisclair, managing partner at Linearis Ventures, said the oversubscribed financing reflects confidence in Scopia's potential to become a category-defining company in physical AI for healthcare.
Market momentum
The announcement arrives during a period of strong investor interest in surgical navigation and robotics startups. Recent sector deals include Dopl Technologies, which raised $6.3 million in seed funding for robotic ultrasound, and SquareMind, which secured $18 million for AI-powered dermatology solutions. Scopia is positioning itself within this wave by focusing on compatibility with existing hospital systems rather than requiring healthcare providers to purchase new robotic hardware.
Scopia Surgical's pre-seed financing marks a transition from early development toward clinical evaluation, regulatory readiness, and early commercialization. By targeting compatibility with existing robotic systems, the startup aims to improve surgical outcomes without adding significant equipment burdens for hospitals. As artificial intelligence and computer vision continue to reshape robotic surgery, Scopia is working to support safer, more standardized, and more accessible minimally invasive procedures.