Machine learning, artificial intelligence, and computer vision are touching upon our lives in increasing ways. But more often then not, there hasn’t been significant consumer-facing applications. Pearl is the real-world integration of these meaningful technologies solution that will power the future of dentistry. Spun out of LA startup GumGum, which has already successfully used its technical prowess in sports and advertising, Pearl is its first foray in the healthcare space, which is ripe for meaningful integration of AI and machine learning. Already, Pearl has amassed the largest collection of dental radiographs in the world and its proprietary platform is trained to recognized dental pathologies, existing restorations, and natural anatomy, allowing practitioners to get to the root of the problem in far less than time than through conventional paper and pencil dentistry. Pearl also uses its technology to improve practice management as well as facilitate dental work with labs with a level of precision never found before.
LA TechWatch chatted with founder and CEO Ophir Tanz about the exciting applications of AI to dentistry and Pearl’s latest funding round.
Who were your investors and how much did you raise?
Our round was led by David Sacks from Craft Ventures. It was an $11M Series A. There was also participation in the round by strategic players in the dental space.
Tell us about the product or service Pearl offers.
Pearl’s suite of AI solutions assists dental professionals by identifying issues earlier and with higher precision. Having collected the largest collection of radiographs in the world, Pearl recognizes dozens of dental pathologies, existing restorations, and natural anatomy, allowing practitioners to assess robust data across their practice, spend more time with patients and prescribe better treatment options. Pearl has also built a suite of solutions to automate tasks for dental laboratories.
What inspired you to start Pearl?
We’re living through an incredible time where AI capabilities have become very powerful very recently but are not yet widely applied. I view my role as applying this technology to the real world. I started the process of collecting dental x-rays 3 years ago as it felt like a natural and impactful CV application. The entire premise of my previous company, GumGum, was to apply this technology which we primarily did in the media space.
What market is Pearl targeting and how big is it?
We are targeting healthcare overall, but the entry point is dentistry and this will be the focus for some time. We are very interested in codifying connections between oral health and systemic health and this is part of the longer-term plan. The market opportunity is very large ranging from hundreds of billions to trillions depending on how you break it out.
Why is dentistry well suited for the use of AI?
Our technology is very well-suited for medicine in general. The state of AI is such that in order for it to work as intended it needs to be very narrowly focused. Anyone looking to apply this technology to medicine would need to choose a very verticalized problem to solve if they hope to be successful. I chose the dental category for a host of reasons that made the category particularly well-suited and ready for the introduction of these capabilities.
What’s your business model?
Varies by product, but it is either subscription-based and/or a cost per API call. We are building fundamental capabilities that apply to every constituent in the category, so the software is intended to live across various parts of the supply chain.
What was the funding process like?
Very straightforward as the deal was not shopped. Craft felt this was an opportunity they wanted to back, and I felt David and Craft were a team I wanted to work with, so we came to mutually agreeable terms fairly quickly.
Very straightforward as the deal was not shopped. Craft felt this was an opportunity they wanted to back, and I felt David and Craft were a team I wanted to work with, so we came to mutually agreeable terms fairly quickly.
What factors about your business led your investors to write the check?
Four primary reasons:
- Deep expertise in the AI/CV space
- Proven history in successfully commercializing AI/CV
- Proven history of being able to grow and manage a large company
- An exciting and impactful application of the tech that makes sense, offers deep competitive advantages and addresses a very large market.
What are the milestones you plan to achieve in the next six months?
Deployments across insurance companies, hardware manufacturers, DSO’s, and dental laboratories. We also anticipate achieving profitability in this period.
What advice can you offer companies in Los Angeles that do not have a fresh injection of capital in the bank?
I’d make sure the basic requirements around the market size and feasibility are there. Make sure to keep likely investors aware of your progress over time – such that they gain more comfort with you and your ability to meaningfully move the ball forward on a budget. Beyond this, don’t run out of money until you’re able to raise more!
What is your favorite restaurant in LA?
Tough one! I think I’d have to say Angelina Osteria. Just a great spot
