Another Cincinnati artificial intelligence startup is hitting the market.
MediSpa.ai uses AI to analyze a medical spa’s prospective client’s area of concern and recommend treatment options based on the med spa’s list of offered services.
The company’s co-founder Matt King said the $17.2 billion industry needed an upgrade to its method of recruiting clients.
“The whole industry was working off of contact forms,” King told me. “Someone just cold calls you from the front desk like, ‘I hear you’re interested in a face-lift. Can we get you to come in?’ So, I said, 'Why is there not anything that can analyze the part of the body that you want done and send you treatment recommendations in real time?'”
MediSpa.ai’s goal is to help medical spas prove their credibility to clients, prevent clients from aimlessly shopping around and provide them with clear recommendations. The startup also aims to encourage potential clients to visit the spa in person, which leads to a higher likelihood of purchasing a treatment.
The software is web-based and is available for med spas to purchase on a monthly plan and integrate into their websites or social media to simplify the shopping process for customers, so they know their treatment options and are able to move on to the next step – going in for their treatment.
“AI is getting good, but you’ll never have that human touch, so especially in this space, especially if you’re literally lasering your face, you need to have a person and an expert to walk though that,” King said.
The software currently has more than 30 treatment options embedded into its program. Another source of revenue for the company is through the medical manufacturers or owners of branded treatments. Those manufacturers can pay MediSpa.ai around $10,000 per year for their treatment to be integrated into the AI.
While the software does not generate a potential "after" photo for the client, it does analyze a client's image to recommend specific treatment options and to help the med spa prepare for the appointment. It also does a full skin analysis, a primary and secondary treatment recommendation, an age estimation, body part recognition and a Fitzpatrick scale report, which is a classification system based on the amount of melanin present in the skin, how it reacts to sun exposure and its tendency to burn or tan.
MediSpa.ai competes with Perfect Corp., which has similar technology but provides potential after photos.
“There are some people that try to do this, but it's clunky,” King said. “We’re not in the before-and-after-photo business. We’re in the get-them-to-go-to-the-med-spa business.”
King and co-founder Mark Welch, a West Chester Township trustee and owner of salons and med spas, are the company’s current full-time employees. The startup also has a development team.
MediSpa.ai tested its software at four different locations and has partnered with Cincinnati-based businesses like Cincinnati Cryoskin. The med spa market is less restrictive overseas, so the company is currently looking at other locations in Dubai, Denmark and other countries.
The company plans to raise an initial seed round in the near future. The partners have already made a six-figure investment into the program. It will be looking to hire sales representatives, account managers, AI algorithm analysts and compliance officers.
