Nines’ unique approach to teleradiology reimagines radiology together with engineering and data science prowess to bring a new level of patient care

Nines debuts as the first-of-its-kind teleradiology practice that combines top quality radiologists and world-class engineering to deliver high-quality diagnostics and priority-driven patient care decisions.

“We have a fundamental belief that radiology reimagined with modern data science can significantly improve the lives of patients and clinicians alike,” said co-founder and CEO David Stavens. “We’re working to pioneer new approaches and innovations from clinical care, engineering and data science. Radiologists at Nines are care providers, innovators, builders, and thought leaders. Our radiologists provide the best patient care, while also working with our engineers to build the future.”

Stavens co-founded Nines with Dr. Alexander Kagen, Site Chair of Diagnostic, Molecular and Interventional Radiology at Mount Sinai West and Mount Sinai St. Luke’s hospitals in New York City.

“Radiology exams are becoming ever more detailed and complex with advancements in imaging technology, which in turn increases the workload on radiologists,” said Dr. Kagen, who will serve as Chief Medical Officer for Nines in addition to his role at Mount Sinai. “Radiologists need to be at the forefront of reimagining the future of medicine. Nines is a place where radiologists are empowered to build technology that unlocks the next level of patient care.”

Nines also announces today that it has received $16.5 million in Series A funding from leading VC firms Accel and 8VC, as well as prominent individuals like Lori Goler, former Deutsche Bank COO Kim Hammonds, and Veritas founder and former CEO Mark Leslie, among others.

Nines has collaborated with top institutions and radiologists, including the Mount Sinai Health System, among others, to develop a service and technology that’s designed to let radiologists focus their efforts where they can make the biggest impact on patient outcomes.

“Nines is a prime example of how Mount Sinai innovators, such as Dr. Kagen, and Mount Sinai Innovation Partners, advance commercially relevant opportunities to benefit patients,” said Erik Lium, Executive Vice President, Mount Sinai Innovation Partners, the commercialization engine of the Mount Sinai Health System. “We are pleased to partner with Nines to develop new techniques to triage critical radiology cases within our Health System and beyond.”

How Nines Is Setup to Improve Care

Nines Radiology is built on the proven track record of the world’s best radiologists who have offered state-of-the-art care at major hospital systems for decades. Our radiologists are passionate about improving patient care. We partner with top institutions and radiologists, including Mount Sinai Health System.

Nines Labs is a team of clinically-focused engineers and data scientists who have deep experience kickstarting several technology revolutions, including applied machine learning. Now we are building products designed to give radiologists more of what they need and less of what they don’t. Nines’ debut software suite is designed to aid in prioritizing the radiological review of emergent cases based on the analysis of head CT images, potentially facilitating faster diagnoses for those patients that need it most, all with the objective of allowing providers to start treatment sooner. The Emergent Neuro Suite is intended for triage of cytotoxic edema, hemorrhage, and mass effect, all of which are exceptionally time sensitive.

“The right solution for radiologists is the one that results in the right interpretation,” said Dr. Kagen. “We are combining technology and clinical expertise to help radiologists intelligently prioritize their ever-growing imaging worklists. Nines is designed to help radiologists adapt and build toward a near-term future where technology plays an increasingly larger role in improving patient outcomes.”

Nines is currently in discussions with the FDA regarding the evidence that the agency will require to support a marketing application for its Emergent Neuro Suite. Nines’ software is limited to analysis of imaging data and is not intended to be used in place of full patient evaluation or relied upon to make or confirm a diagnosis. The Emergent Neuro Suite is an investigational device in the US, limited by Federal law to investigational use. It is not currently employed by the Nines teleradiology practice.

Nines Debuts With Comprehensive Health Care, AI and Data Science Experience

David Stavens co-founded Nines after leveraging his expertise in AI and data science to help disrupt the education and automotive industries. Stavens was co-founder and former CEO of Udacity, which democratized education with the first global, online, lifelong learning platform. He was also a pioneer in autonomous vehicles, co-founding Stanford University’s self-driving car team, which was acquired by Google as the foundation for Waymo.

He has brought together a team of pre-eminent experts in radiology. Dr. Russell Stewart, an assistant professor of radiology, is the VP of Clinical for Nines. Nines has also formed a prestigious advisory board of doctors from several top medical institutions, including Dr. Burton Drayer, Chair of Radiology for the Mount Sinai Health System and Professor of Diagnostic, Molecular and Interventional Radiology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Dr. David Mendelson, Vice Chair Radiology IT for Mount Sinai Health System and Professor of Radiology for the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

The Nines board includes Accel partner Steve Loughlin and 8VC founding partner Joe Lonsdale.

  • Accel partner Steve Loughlin: “The power of AI comes from applying it to defined problems. Nines combines exceptional AI and health care expertise. The Nines platform presents a true patient-first approach with the goal of improving outcomes and offering up greater efficiencies and reduced time to diagnosis.”
  • 8VC founding partner Joe Lonsdale: “We invested in Nines because of David and Alex. They have built the strongest AI and technical team we've seen in the space and combined it with deeply relevant -- and impressive -- medical experience.”

The Nines team will be at the 105th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), Dec. 1-7 at McCormick Place in Chicago.

About Nines

Nines provides a better approach to teleradiology, improving patient care with an amazing team of clinical experts, engineers, and data scientists. Nines is backed by Accel and 8VC and is based in Palo Alto, Calif. For more information, including career opportunities, visit https://www.ninesradiology.com/.

The Nines Advisory Board

  • Dr. Burton Drayer, Chair of Radiology for the Mount Sinai Health System and Professor of Diagnostic, Molecular and Interventional Radiology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
  • Dr. David Mendelson, Vice Chair, Radiology, IT, for the Mount Sinai Health System and Professor of Radiology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
  • Dr. Sam Gambhir, Chair, Department of Radiology
  • Dr. Curt Langlotz, Professor of Radiology & Informatics
  • Dr. Matthew Lungren, Assistant Professor, Radiology
  • Dr. Thomas Montine, Department Chair, Department of Pathology
  • Dr. Max Wintermark, Professor of Radiology (Neuroimaging and Neurointervention)

About Mount Sinai Innovation Partners

Mount Sinai Innovation Partners (MSIP) is responsible for driving the real-world application and commercialization of Mount Sinai discoveries and inventions, and the development of research partnerships with industry. Our aim is to translate discoveries and inventions into health care products and services that benefit patients and society. MSIP is accountable for the full spectrum of commercialization activities required to bring Mount Sinai inventions to life. These activities include evaluating, patenting, marketing and licensing new technologies building research, collaborations and partnerships with commercial and nonprofit entities, material transfer and confidentiality, coaching innovators to advance commercially-relevant translational discoveries, and actively fostering an ecosystem of entrepreneurship within the Mount Sinai research and health system communities. For more information please visit www.ip.mountsinai.org.

Nines PR Contact Chris Kraeuter press@ninesai.com

Mount Sinai Innovation Partners PR Contact cynthia.cleto@mssm.edu