What Virtuoso Surgical does

Virtuoso Surgical is a Nashville-based, pre-revenue medical device company founded in 2016 that is developing a robotic surgical system for rigid endoscopic procedures. The company's core technology is a set of needle-sized (sub-millimeter) concentric tube robotic manipulators that deploy two independently controlled robotic arms at the distal tip of a rigid endoscope, enabling dexterous instrument articulation inside confined body cavities that conventional endoscopic tools cannot reach. The technology originated from research at Johns Hopkins and Vanderbilt, with co-founders Robert Webster (38 patents) and S. Duke Herrell anchoring the engineering and clinical programs respectively.

The lead clinical application is transurethral resection of bladder tumors, with additional stated targets in gynecology (including hysteroscopy), neurosurgery, and pulmonology. The company completed first-in-human bladder cancer cases at The Chinese University of Hong Kong in May 2025, received FDA Breakthrough Device Designation in 2025, and submitted a De Novo classification request to the FDA in September 2025 with a decision expected in 2026.

The business model is contingent on regulatory clearance. To date Virtuoso has been funded primarily through non-dilutive sources — multiple NIH SBIR grants (including a $1.8M Phase II in November 2023) and a roughly $12 million ARPA-H award in January 2025 under the ALISS autonomous-surgery program — supplemented by Regulation A and private financing. The company has no paying customers; its commercial GTM has not yet been built out, and a board addition of medical device commercialization executive Rob Waggener in late 2025 signals preparation for a post-clearance launch. Pricing model, unit economics, and distribution channels are not yet defined in the public record.

Name

Virtuoso Surgical

Legal name

Virtuoso Surgical, Inc.

Website

https://virtuososurgical.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Virtuoso Surgical is a pre-revenue medical device company developing needle-sized concentric tube robotic manipulators for rigid endoscopic surgery, with initial applications in bladder cancer, gynecology, neurosurgery, and pulmonology, pending FDA clearance.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Surgical Robotics

NAICS

Surgical and Medical Instrument Manufacturing (339112), Electromedical and Electrotherapeutic Apparatus Manufacturing (334510), Surgical Appliance and Supplies Manufacturing (339113), Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (3345)

SIC

Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841), Electromedical & Electrotherapeutic Apparatus (3845)

akta.pro primary industry

Surgical Robotics & Computer-Assisted Surgery Platforms (HLAHADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Endoscopy Systems & Accessories (Scopes, Cameras, Light Sources, Insufflation) (HLAHADAB), Endoscopic Therapeutic & Access Devices (Trocars, dilators, biopsy/ablation tools) (HLAHADAN), Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery (Laparoscopy/Hysteroscopy) (HLAKAJAF), Endourology & Minimally Invasive Urologic Surgery (HLAKAOAF)

Keywords

• Endoscopic robotic systems
• Surgical robotics devices
• Minimally invasive surgery
• Robotic surgical instruments
• Concentric tube robotics

Headquarters

HQ city

Nashville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Robotic Surgical System Sales: Pre-revenue company. The Virtuoso Surgical System is not yet FDA-approved and is not for sale in the United States. Once regulatory approval is obtained, the company plans to commercialize its robotic surgical platform through direct sales to hospitals and surgical centers.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Virtuoso Surgical develops the Virtuoso Surgical Robotic System, a hardware platform featuring two robotically controlled, needle-sized (<1mm diameter) manipulators built from concentric nitinol tubes that operate from the tip of a rigid endoscope. The system is designed to give surgeons bimanual dexterity in minimally invasive urological, gynecological, neurosurgical, and thoracic endoscopic procedures, with a primary application in en bloc bladder tumor resection. The device is not yet FDA-approved and is not currently for sale in the United States.

Product overview

Virtuoso Surgical offers a single unified core product: the Virtuoso Surgical Robotic System. This is a groundbreaking robotic surgery platform designed to radically improve minimally invasive endoscopic surgery. The system features two robotically controlled, needle-sized manipulator arms made of concentric nitinol tubes that work from the tip of a rigid endoscope (less than half the diameter of a U.S. dime). The platform enables surgeons to grasp, manipulate, and cut tissue with unparalleled bimanual dexterity in rigid endoscopic procedures. The system includes an array of interchangeable manipulators (grasper, retractor, tissue snare, laser aiming manipulator, and electrosurgical tools) depending on the procedure. The technology was initially developed by founders Robert Webster and Duke Herrell at Johns Hopkins University and Vanderbilt University, with funding from the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health. The system is not yet FDA-approved and is not for sale in the United States.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Virtuoso Surgical Robotic System

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully completed first-in-human bladder cancer removal in 6 patients, removing 11 lesions total using en bloc technique
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) / Dr. Jeremy TeohcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 May 2025Clinical partnership for first-in-human use of the Virtuoso system in bladder cancer removal procedures. Dr. Jeremy Teoh, a world-renowned bladder cancer surgeon, performed the first-in-human cases removing 11 lesions from 6 patients in May 2025. CUHK serves as a key clinical research site for the company.
• Vanderbilt UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 January 2025Co-founder Robert Webster is a professor at Vanderbilt University. The company was born out of collaborative research at Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Vanderbilt leads the ARPA-H ALISS project with Robert Webster as principal investigator.
• University of UtahmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 January 2025Part of the multi-institution ARPA-H ALISS project team. Alan Kuntz, Ph.D. from University of Utah leads key artificial intelligence algorithm development for the autonomous surgery project.
• University of Tennessee (Knoxville)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 January 2025Part of the multi-institution ARPA-H ALISS project team for advancing autonomous surgical procedures using the Virtuoso Surgical platform.
• Johns Hopkins UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 November 2023Founders developed the core technology while at Johns Hopkins University. The company utilizes patented technology from Johns Hopkins researchers. Collaborates on the Johns Hopkins University Simulation Innovation Lab at the Brady Urological Institute for bladder lesion research.
• Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 November 2023Co-founder Dr. Duke Herrell is a professor at VUMC and director of the robotics committee. VUMC surgeons lead clinical development efforts in the ARPA-H project. VISE (Vanderbilt Institute for Surgery and Engineering) was co-founded by Webster and Herrell.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Intuitive Surgical: Maker of the da Vinci surgical robotic system, the dominant platform in urologic and laparoscopic robotic surgery. While da Vinci is a multi-port laparoscopic system far larger than Virtuoso's needle-sized endoscopic manipulators, Intuitive is the primary competitor for hospital robotic surgery budgets and surgeon training in Virtuoso's primary urology beachhead.
• Medtronic (Hugo RAS): Medtronic's Hugo robotic-assisted surgery system is a modular, lower-cost entrant challenging Intuitive in urology, gynecology, and general surgery. As a large incumbent with global hospital relationships, Medtronic represents both a competitor and a potential strategic acquirer for Virtuoso's specialized endoscopic platform.
• Blue Belt Technologies (Smith+Nephew): Smith+Nephew's CORI handheld robotic-assisted surgery system for orthopedics. While focused on arthroplasty rather than endoscopy, Blue Belt/CORI is comparable as a smaller-form-factor robotic-assisted surgical platform acquired by a strategic incumbent, illustrating a plausible acquisition exit path for Virtuoso.

Direct peers

• CMR Surgical: UK-based developer of the Versius modular surgical robot targeting laparoscopic procedures with a smaller, portable form factor. Like Virtuoso, CMR is a newer-generation challenger to Intuitive pursuing minimally invasive surgical robotics, and the two are frequently compared on price, footprint, and OR workflow integration.
• Asensus Surgical: Developer of the Senhance surgical robot focused on laparoscopic and digital laparoscopic surgery. Asensus is a peer-stage company pursuing next-generation surgical robotics with a smaller commercial footprint than Intuitive, comparable to Virtuoso's pre-commercial stage and focus on differentiated minimally invasive approaches.
• Titan Medical: Developer of single-port robotic surgery technology (Enos system). Titan pursues a miniaturized robotic surgery approach akin to Virtuoso's smaller-form-factor strategy and has similarly navigated an extended pre-commercial development path with multiple financing rounds.
• Vicarious Surgical: Developer of a single-incision robotic surgery system using decoupled actuator arms for minimally invasive abdominal procedures. Vicarious pursues miniaturized surgical robotics with a similar pre-revenue/early-clinical profile to Virtuoso and competes for surgeon mindshare in next-generation MIS robotics.

Emerging players

• Noah Medical: Developer of the Galaxy System for robotic bronchoscopy in lung cancer diagnosis. Noah overlaps with Virtuoso's pulmonology application (central airway procedures) and shares the profile of an early-stage robotic interventional platform pursuing a specific procedural indication.
• Distalmotion: Swiss developer of the Dexter surgical robot designed to be portable and integrated into existing OR workflows. Like Virtuoso, Distalmotion emphasizes smaller form factor, OR-friendly design, and laparoscopic general surgery use cases that overlap with Virtuoso's MIS surgical robotics positioning.
• Monteris Medical: Developer of the NeuroBlate and AutoLITT systems for minimally invasive laser neurosurgery. Monteris addresses one of Virtuoso's stated secondary use cases (endoscopic neurosurgery/brain cyst removal), providing a comparable peer for neurosurgical robotic/minimally invasive device commercialization.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/virtuoso-surgical-inc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Virtuoso Surgical