AI start-up Scribenote lands $8.2m to help vets keep records

24 Sep 2024

From left: Emily Merry, Dr Katie Gallagher, Dobby the dog, Alina Pavel and Ryan Gallagher. Image: Scribenote

The start-up, which aims to fight burnout among veterinarians, will use the funding to further develop its AI technology.

Scribenote, an AI-powered medical scribe for veterinarians, has just raised $8.2m in a funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz (A16z).

The start-up’s multimillion-dollar round also included support from Inovia Capital, the Velocity Fund and angel investors.

Founded in 2019 in Canada, the app records conversations between veterinarians and clients, and uses AI to automatically generate medical records and dental charts in just minutes.

CEO and co-founder Ryan Gallagher came up with the idea when he noticed his sister Katie, a vet for small animals, consistently working late to catch up on medical records.

After shadowing her at the clinic, he realised that capturing detailed discussions with clients in real time could help eliminate the additional workload that comes with documenting and updating medical records. He co-founded the company with his sister, along with Alina Pavel and Emily Merry.

“Scribenote is not just about saving time; it’s about improving the quality of veterinary care and the lives of those who provide it,” said Gallagher. “By automating the documentation process, we’re enabling veterinarians to focus more on their patients and less on paperwork.”

The company said its AI Scribe product has already automated more than 1.5m medical records, saving vets up to two hours of work per day.

The new funding will allow Scribenote to further develop its AI technology and expand its platform. The start-up also wants to create personalised AI scribes for each veterinarian and build an intelligent platform for editing and finalising records.

Olivia Moore, partner at A16z, said she’s excited to partner with Scribenote on its mission to improve the lives of vets.

“As the market-leading AI scribe for veterinarians, Scribenote automates burdensome documentation requirements, so vets can focus on the parts of the job they love,” she said. “The Scribenote team has deep empathy for the daily challenges veterinarians face and a hands-on understanding of their workflow.”

Scribenote is just one of the many AI-focused start-ups A16z has set its sights on. In July of this year, the venture capital firm led a $130m funding round for Hebbia, which has developed s product that allows users to build AI agents that complete end-to-end tasks.

The VC also co-led an $80m round into AI voice generator ElevenLabs at the start of the year.

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Jenny Darmody is the editor of Silicon Republic

editorial@siliconrepublic.com