News
New leadership for the next chapter of surgical AI
Mantyx is proud to welcome Piet De Windt as Chief Executive Officer, marking an important step as the company moves from final development toward clinical readiness for its real-time AI co-pilot for robotic surgery.
Built with the support of ORSI Academy, Mantyx is developing procedure-aware intelligence designed to support surgical teams before, during, and after robotic procedures.
Piet brings more than 25 years of experience in data, software, AI, business intelligence, and deep tech company building. Most recently, he served as CEO of VaultSpeed, the data automation company he co-founded, leading it from inception to international commercial scale. He remains on the company’s board.
That experience now comes to Mantyx at a defining moment for robotic surgery.
Hospitals are under growing pressure to improve OR efficiency, procedure predictability, and the value they get from robotic programs. Surgeons are managing more information, more complexity, and more variation across every case.
Turning robotic surgery into measurable value
Mantyx is being developed to help relieve those pressures. Grounded in ORSI-rooted clinical expertise and tens of thousands of hours of documented procedural data, Mantyx connects planning, real-time intraoperative support, reporting, and performance insight across the surgical workflow.
For surgeons, that means better procedure prep, voice-controlled support and image manipulation in the OR while keeping surgeons’ hands and focus on the operation, and quicker post-op reporting.
For hospitals, it means more predictable procedure times, better OR planning, clearer workflow insight, and greater freedom across robotic systems.
Advancing the future of robotic surgery
With Piet as CEO, Mantyx gains the leadership, focus, and ambition needed to strengthen clinical evidence, build market trust, and move toward global relevance.
“The opportunity to build a European surgical AI company with global ambition is exactly the kind of challenge I wanted next,” said Piet De Windt, CEO of Mantyx. “Mantyx has the clinical roots, the technology foundation, the data, and the partners to help shape the next generation of robotic surgery. My focus now is on building the team, strengthening our partnerships, advancing our clinical evidence, and preparing Mantyx for the next stage.”
“We are thrilled to welcome Piet to Mantyx,” said Dr. Pieter De Backer, co-founder of Mantyx. “He brings the experience, energy, and company-building mindset we need right now. Mantyx was created from a deep belief in the future of robotic surgery and the role AI can play in helping surgical teams get more from every procedure. Piet understands that vision, and he has the leadership experience to help bring it forward.”
First public appearance as CEO
Piet’s first speaking event as CEO takes place this Wednesday at DeviceTalks Boston, where he will join Dr. Pieter De Backer for “From Vision to Incision: AI’s Real-Time Role in the OR.”
The session brings together leaders from NVIDIA, Mantyx, AZORG, and Infor for a live discussion and demonstration on how AI, interoperability, data infrastructure, and clinical expertise are beginning to reshape surgery in real time.
Follow Mantyx for the latest developments in surgical AI, robotic workflow intelligence, and the future of the intelligent OR.
3 March 2026
After our presentation at the Surgical AI Days in Ghent, the news about Mantyx's innovative solution was picked up by several sources.
De Specialist (Interview): An innovative AI copilot for surgery, developed by a team affiliated with the Orsi Academy Ghent and AZORG Hospital Aalst, was presented last week for the world's first time. De Specialist spoke with developer and urologist Dr. Pieter De Backer.
VRT NWS (Video): Dr. Alex Mottrie performs surgery in Aalst hospital with the help of AI, doctors and engineers follow the scoop live from a conference in Ghent
TRT Haber (In Turkish): At a surgical event held in Ghent, Belgium, a voice-controlled Al assistant that provides real-time support to surgeons during robotic surgery was introduced.
2 March 2026
On 27 March, during the live surgical days in Ghent, Mantyx’s surgical co‑pilot was showcased in a live robotic procedure at AZOR Hospital in Aalst. The operation was assisted by a voice‑controlled AI co‑pilot, while experts simultaneously followed the case from a surgical AI conference in Ghent. The VRT news team of the national broadcaster covered this milestone.
Mantyx powers this new way of working: a surgical co‑pilot that understands the procedure in real time, recognises critical anatomy and phases, and automatically brings the right imaging and information to the surgeon without leaving the console. It is an assistant – not a replacement – designed to reduce cognitive load for surgeons and enable more predictable, efficient operating rooms.