Optain Health, a healthcare technology company focused on early disease detection through retinal imaging and artificial intelligence, has closed a $26 million Series A funding round. The investment was led by Insight Partners and joined by seven major U.S. health systems, including Memorial Hermann, Northwell Health, Novant Health, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, and UPMC. Together, these systems serve over 28 million patients across 25 states and will begin deploying Optain’s platform to improve screening access and clinical outcomes.
Additional investors include Informed Ventures, Lumio Capital, Meridian Ventures, and the UniQuest Extension Fund, which will help accelerate Optain’s footprint in Australia, Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.
Optain’s platform is built around oculomics—the science of using the eye as a window into whole-body health. Its portable robotic camera captures high-resolution retinal images without the need for pupil dilation. Integrated AI workflows analyze these images to detect conditions such as diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration, as well as assess cardiovascular risk. The system is designed for use in primary care, optometry, and other non-specialist settings, enabling broader access to preventive screening with minimal disruption to clinical workflows.
The company’s teleophthalmology service in the U.S. provides rapid grading for diabetic retinopathy and other conditions, helping close care gaps and reduce avoidable costs. Optain’s technology is based on more than a decade of research led by Professor Mingguang He in Australia, and the company is investing further in Australian R&D to support global expansion.
Optain was co-founded in 2023 by Aegis Ventures and is backed by the Aegis Digital Consortium, a coalition of 11 regional health systems focused on co-developing AI-driven healthcare solutions. Dr. John Noseworthy, Emeritus CEO of Mayo Clinic and Chairman of the Consortium, will join Optain’s board as an observer, reflecting strong clinical support for the company’s mission.
How the funding will be used: The new funding will be used for scaling enterprise deployments, enter new markets, and advance Optain’s AI capabilities.
KEY QUOTES:
“Our mission is simple: faster, easier, more equitable disease screening. After two years of major international growth, we are ready to scale in the U.S. This Series A funds our enterprise deployments, opens new markets, and pushes the frontier of what the retina can reveal.”
Jeff Dunkel, CEO, Optain
“Optain represents our conviction in the power of better AI—deployed at the edge, inside clinical workflows. By making retinopathy screening truly accessible, Optain is already changing care delivery—and we believe it will become the upstream gateway in primary care for AI-driven diagnoses across many conditions.”
Scott Barclay, Managing Director at Insight Partners
“Early retinal screening for diabetic retinopathy and chronic disease closes a critical care gap. Clinicians have been waiting for a solution that meets patients where they are, and Optain is delivering a best-in-class product that is achieving real adoption. By deploying Optain in patient care and investing in the company, Consortium members have shown strong confidence in its value for enabling early detection and better outcomes.”
Dr. John Noseworthy, Chairman of the Aegis Digital Consortium and Emeritus CEO of Mayo Clinic – who will join Optain’s board as an observer, representing the strategic health systems.
“We’re proud to be translating world-class Australian science into real-world impact. We are making significant investments in new Australian R&D and growing our local team, who will lead our global expansion outside of the U.S. Exporting Australian AI innovation to improve equitable access to healthcare and patient outcomes around the world is a mission we are proud to lead.”
Dr. Zachary Tan, President of Optain
