Investing in Oath Surgical

For decades, the delivery of surgical care has progressed more gradually compared to the sweeping changes observed in other industries. While banking, travel, and primary care have gone digital, surgery has remained anchored in a fragmented, hospital-centric system. The result: rising costs, limited access, and uneven quality outcomes for patients.

But the industry is overdue for a reset, and we believe that moment has arrived. At Black Opal Ventures, we have long believed that transformative companies emerge at the intersection of frontier technologies and healthcare delivery. That is why we are thrilled to announce our investment in Oath Surgical.

Oath is reimagining surgical care from the ground up. By combining AI-powered technology with owned-and-operated surgical centers, Oath has created the first full-stack operating system for outpatient surgery: OathOS. This vertically integrated approach is a fundamental rewrite of how surgical care is delivered, tracked, and optimized.

Today, 60-70% of surgeries in the U.S. could be performed in the ambulatory setting, yet many of these ambulatory settings lack the technology to deliver the highest value care. OathOS unites proprietary AI tools, like automated charting, real-time data tracking, and AI scribes, with the physical delivery of ambulatory surgical care. The result is up to 40% savings versus hospital-based care, better patient outcomes, and happier, economically aligned surgeons who are empowered to practice at the top of their skillset.

Oath’s early momentum is impressive. In just a year, the team has launched two ambulatory surgery centers in Portland, Oregon, with a third center on the way, while building a national network of value-based care partners. Their upcoming women’s health and cancer care programs, and AI benchmarking tools for surgeons, are evidence of the broader platform they are building, one where surgical care is personalized, data-driven, scalable and value-based.

Led by Dr. Oliver Keown, the Oath team brings together seasoned healthcare operators, technologists, and surgeons who are aligned around a shared vision: to create a better, faster, and more affordable surgical care system. We’re excited to partner with Oath as they push the frontier, bringing surgical care into the 21st century and building a distributed, next-generation alternative to hospital-centric surgery.

Black Opal Ventures continues to invest in companies leveraging frontier technologies to improve healthcare and life sciences.

This article was authored by Tara Bishop and Karthik Ramasubramanian.