Yeshwanth Pulijala
Dr. Yeshwanth Pulijala is an Indian-origin entrepreneur, clinician, and medical technologist who founded Scalpel AI to bring computer vision and artificial intelligence to one of the most overlooked problems in healthcare: the mismanagement of surgical instruments and implants. He completed a Bachelor's degree in Dentistry at Manipal Academy of Higher Education, a Master's in Medical Visualisation and Human Anatomy at the University of Glasgow, and a PhD in VR and AR applications in healthcare at the University of Huddersfield. It was during his doctoral research in medical visualisation that he witnessed first-hand how surgical instrument mismanagement led to near-misses and critical errors in patient care — and began developing the conceptual foundation for Scalpel AI.
Pulijala co-founded Scalpel AI in 2017 alongside Dr. Shahnawaz Ahmed, a specialist in computer vision and PhD-qualified in object detection. Together they built a platform that uses computer vision, machine learning, and digital twin technology to identify, validate, and track surgical instruments from manufacturer warehouses through to the operating theatre and back — eliminating the supply chain errors that cost healthcare systems hundreds of millions of pounds annually. Pulijala's interdisciplinary background spanning dentistry, anatomy, immersive visualisation, and AI informs the company's deeply clinical approach to product design.
Scalpel AI raised £3.8 million in late 2024 in a round led by Mercia Ventures, with participation from Tensor Ventures, to scale its global operations across hospital sterile services, medical device companies, and third-party logistics providers. The company has deployed its platform at London's largest sterilisation unit and built commercial partnerships with GlobalMed Logistix in the United States, demonstrating the ability to eliminate supply chain errors and reduce surgical tray handling time by over 80 per cent. Scalpel AI's longer-term vision is to build the infrastructure for connected surgical intelligence, enabling fully personalised surgery guided by real-time data.
