What Asto CT does

Asto CT, Inc. is a privately held veterinary medical-device company founded in 2015 as a research spinout from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine and the Morgridge Institute for Research, with formal corporate establishment in 2016 and headquarters in Middleton, Wisconsin. The company designs, manufactures, and sells the Equina — described as the world's only bi-axial equine standing CT scanner — which uses fan-beam helical CT technology to image sedated horses in a natural weight-bearing position, eliminating the need for general anesthesia. The Equina system features a 24-row detector configuration, 36 slices per rotation, sub-millimeter resolution, a 75cm (with a 92cm tapered bore variant) field of view, 20-40 second scan times, and a low-dose, lead-shielded architecture that allows handlers to remain safely in the room during scanning.

Asto CT's commercial offering consists of a single integrated product platform delivered through multiple pricing models. Customers — primarily equine veterinary hospitals, academic veterinary institutions, and specialized equine sports medicine practices, with a notable horse-racing safety use case via Racing Victoria — can purchase the scanner outright, subscribe via a revenue-share model that aligns payment to scan volume (breakeven cited at ~15 patients/month at ~$1,000 average fee), or sign annual service plans covering scheduled maintenance, software upgrades, and remote diagnostics. Distribution combines direct enterprise field sales (with a dedicated European sales office in Horley, UK), a global distribution partnership with IMV Imaging signed in 2024, and a continuing-education alliance with VetPD. The installed base spans the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates, and the company has reported milestones including 10,000+ cumulative scans and zero catastrophic injuries across five consecutive Melbourne Cup racing seasons using the Equina for pre-race screening.

Name

Asto CT

Legal name

Asto CT, Inc.

Website

https://astoct.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Asto CT designs and sells the Equina, the world's only bi-axial standing fan-beam CT scanner for horses, enabling equine veterinarians and academic institutions to image sedated standing horses without general anesthesia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging Equipment

NAICS

Surgical Appliance and Supplies Manufacturing (339113)

SIC

Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841), X-Ray Apparatus & Tubes & Related Irradiation Apparatus (3844), Wholesale-Medical, Dental & Hospital Equipment & Supplies (5047)

akta.pro primary industry

Imaging Equipment & Accessories (X-ray, Ultrasound, Endoscopy) (HLAMAFAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Computed Tomography (CT) Systems (HLAHABAB), Field Services, Mobile Imaging & On-Farm Procedures (HLAMABAK)

Keywords

• Equine CT scanners
• Veterinary diagnostic imaging
• Standing CT systems
• Equine medical equipment
• Fan-beam CT technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. CT Scanner Hardware Sales: Sale of Equina standing CT scanner systems to equine veterinary hospitals, clinics, and academic institutions. Both outright purchase and subscription options available.
2. Subscription/Payment Plan: Flexible payment options allowing clinics to install the Equina and pay for it with generated revenues. Breakeven reported at approximately 15 patients per month with average client fee of $1000.
3. Service and Maintenance Contracts: Comprehensive service plan including scheduled maintenance, software upgrades for new features and performance enhancements, and remote support via telephone and remote login diagnostics.
4. Per-Scan Revenue: Revenue generated from CT scanning services performed at customer sites, with typical client fees around $1000 per scan.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Asto CT designs, manufactures, and sells the Equina® standing CT scanner, the world's only bi-axial equine fan-beam CT scanner that images sedated standing horses without general anesthesia. The system enables true weight-bearing diagnostic imaging of the distal limb, head, and neck in equine patients, sold outright or via subscription to veterinary hospitals, clinics, academic institutions, and the horse racing industry.

Product overview

Asto CT offers a single unified product—the Equina® standing CT scanner—a specialized medical imaging device purpose-built for equine veterinary medicine. The Equina system is the world's only bi-axial fan-beam CT scanner designed specifically for horses, capable of imaging limb pairs and head/neck regions while the horse remains standing under light sedation. The product portfolio includes variations such as the original 75cm bore model and the newer 92cm Tapered Bore variant with extended cervical spine and proximal limb coverage. Asto CT provides comprehensive support services including installation, training, subscription/purchase options, scheduled maintenance, software upgrades, and 360-degree marketing support for customers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Equina: The Equina by Asto CT is the world's only bi-axial equine standing CT scanner that scans vertically for limb pairs and horizontally for the head and neck, designed specifically for imaging sedated standing horses without general anesthesia.

Products and services

• Equina® Standing CT Scanner The Equina® is the world's only bi-axial equine standing CT scanner, using fan-beam technology to image sedated standing horses without general anesthesia. It scans vertically for limb pairs and horizontally for the head and neck, providing diagnostic imaging for equine veterinarians, academic institutions, and the horse racing industry. Available for outright purchase or via subscription/revenue-share model, with an optional 92cm Tapered Bore variant for extended cervical spine and proximal limb coverage.

Quantifiable outcome

• Zero catastrophic injuries at Melbourne Cup for 5 consecutive years with pre-race CT screening
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• IMV ImagingcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2024Strategic collaboration to advance veterinary diagnostic imaging solutions across small animals, equines, and livestock globally. IMV Imaging serves as a distribution partner enhancing Asto CT's market reach in veterinary imaging sector.
• VetPD (Veterinary Professional Development)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2023Transatlantic partnership to advance veterinary continuing education across North America and Europe. Combines Asto CT's imaging technology expertise with VetPD's global continuing education platform, offering hands-on courses, destination events, online panel discussions, and custom CE offerings.
• University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Founding research collaboration that led to the development of Equina. University provided veterinary expertise and clinical trial site for standing CT technology development.
• Morgridge Institute for ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Founding research collaboration for development of equine standing CT technology. Contributed research expertise to the Equina development.
• Photo Diagnostic Systems (Boston, MA)coreTechnology or IntegrationCT supplier partner that enabled rapid development of Equina scanner. Provided core CT technology components for the equine-specific scanner development.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Hallmarq: Hallmarq is the developer of standing MRI systems for horses, the most direct competitive analogue to Asto CT's Equina standing CT. Both companies sell advanced standing-imaging modalities targeted at equine specialty hospitals and are pursuing the same clinical workflow of imaging sedated, weight-bearing horses without general anesthesia.
• Epica Medical (Pegaso CT): Epica Medical manufactures the Pegaso standing CT scanner for equine patients, a cone-beam competing system also designed for use in sedated standing horses. It competes head-to-head with Equina for the same equine specialty hospital buyers and represents Asto CT's closest cone-beam technology alternative.
• Universal Medical Systems: Universal Medical Systems distributes and refurbishes veterinary CT systems (including cone-beam equine configurations) into specialty veterinary practices. It competes with Equina on the capital-equipment side, particularly for clinics evaluating a non-purpose-built alternative.

Others

• IMV Imaging: IMV Imaging is a global distributor of veterinary imaging equipment and Asto CT's strategic distribution partner. While not a direct product competitor, IMV's portfolio (ultrasound, X-ray, MRI) overlaps with the broader equine imaging budget that Asto CT is competing for, making it a key channel and adjacent player.

Broad incumbents

• Sound (Vetel, Mars Petcare): Sound (now part of Mars Petcare's Vetel diagnostics platform) is a long-established veterinary imaging distributor selling ultrasound, X-ray, and MRI into companion and equine practices. It overlaps with Asto CT at the clinic-budget and imaging-channel level across a broader portfolio.
• IDEXX Laboratories: IDEXX is the dominant veterinary diagnostics company and has expanded into imaging-adjacent workflows and software. While not a standing CT competitor, IDEXX sets the standard for technology adoption in veterinary clinics and competes for the same capital budget and clinical attention in equine specialty hospitals.
• Heska (Mars Petcare): Heska, now part of Mars Petcare, sells in-clinic diagnostic and imaging equipment (including X-ray and ultrasound) into veterinary practices. It is a broader incumbent whose imaging portfolio competes for capital and workflow share in equine specialty clinics.
• GE HealthCare: GE HealthCare is a global medical imaging OEM (CT, MRI, X-ray, ultrasound). While its catalog targets human medicine, its CT technology underpins much of the equine cone-beam competitive set and it represents the most credible large-OEM threat if the standing large-animal CT market grows.
• Siemens Healthineers: Siemens Healthineers is a leading global CT and imaging OEM with veterinary-adjacent products. Its engineering depth and global service network make it a potential future entrant into purpose-built veterinary CT, and its existing installed base competes for the same specialty-hospital capital budgets.
• Canon Medical Systems: Canon Medical Systems manufactures CT, MRI, and ultrasound systems globally with veterinary applications. Like GE and Siemens, it is a broad incumbent whose imaging IP and service infrastructure could be redeployed toward equine standing CT if the category expands.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Equina_AstoCT

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds9 records

Investors4 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 Asto CT