Digital dentistry firm receives £2m seed funding
A spin-out company from the University has received investment to accelerate the development of AI dentistry products.
Northern Gritstone has led a £2m seed funding round in Mimetrik, alongside participation from investors with decades of experience in the dental industry. The investment will enable the company to expand its team and deliver its first three products to market.
Dr Alan Mighell, Dean of the School of Dentistry, said: “The School of Dentistry is extremely pleased to see Northern Gritstone investing in a business that our world leading research has been built upon. Our research aims to shape the future of the industry, enabling new technology to thrive and improve the patient experience.”
Based in our state-of-the-art innovation hub at Nexus, Mimetrik was founded in 2020 and builds on more than a decade of world-leading research at the School of Dentistry.
The company has developed a 3D-scanning technology that uses machine learning to generate fully digitised images of patients’ dentition and facial structure. The products combine cutting-edge software, hardware and mobile apps.
Mimetrik’s aim is to create a full ‘digital pathway’ between dental labs and clinicians for the benefit of patients, replacing the costly, time-intensive current approach of creating physical models of each patients’ dentition enabling more accurate and faster treatment.
Together, this investment is set to redefine the global digital dentistry market, covering dental impression scanning, occlusion, virtual articulation, and restorative treatment planning. The software is primed to make significant advancements in preventative treatment pathways.
Dr Martin Stow, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Business Engagement and Enterprise, said: “Our world leading research in the School of Dentistry, coupled with the collaboration opportunities provided by our innovation hub, Nexus, has enabled the University’s spin-out company Mimetrik, to develop groundbreaking new technologies to advance patient treatment.
“It is fantastic to see Northern Gritstone choosing to invest in the business and we hope that the funding will accelerate the company’s development to start bringing vital improvements to dental clinicians, manufacturers and patients around the globe.”