Optain Health secures $26 million Series A funding

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Optain Health recently announced the close of an oversubscribed $26 million in Series A funding.¹ This funding, led by investor Insight Partners, also received participation from existing investors. Optain is a healthcare technology company using artificial intelligence (AI), robotic retinal imaging, and telophthalmology to detect eye and systemic disease earlier.¹

“Our mission is simple: faster, easier, more equitable disease screening,” Jeff Dunkel, CEO, Optain, said in a press release.

“After two years of major international growth, we are ready to scale in the US. This Series A funds our enterprise deployments, opens new markets, and pushes the frontier of what the retina can unveil.”

Optain’s platform is powered by a single, non-invasive test, Oculomics.¹ It has a portable robotic camera used for capturing retinal images rapidly without needing the pupil to be dilated. The integrated AI workflows detect sight-threatening eye diseases, including diabetic retinopathy (DR), glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration (AMD).¹

Insight Partners and 7 leading health system investors came together for this Series A: Memorial Hermann Health System, Northwell Health, Novant Health, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, and UPMC. More than 28 million patients across 25 states receive care from these medical systems combined.¹

“Optain represents our conviction in the power of better AI—deployed at the edge, inside clinical workflows,” Scott Barclay, Managing Director at Insight Partners, said in a press release.¹

“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.”

Other investors that will allow for the growth of Optain’s global footprint into Australia, Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia include Informed Ventures, Lumio Capital, Meridian Ventures, and the UniQuest Extension Fund.¹

“We’re proud to be translating world-class Australian science into real-world impact,” Zachary Tan, MD, President of Optain, said in a press release.¹ Optain’s technology builds on more than a decade of research led by Professor Mingguang He in Australia, the company noted.¹

“We are making significant investments in new Australian R&D and growing our local team, who will lead our global expansion outside of the US. Exporting Australian AI innovation to improve equitable access to healthcare and patient outcomes around the world is a mission we are proud to lead.”

Aegis Ventures, which also formed the Aegis Digital Consortium, co-created Optain in 2023. The Aegis Digital Consortium is a collaboration of 11 leading regional US health systems working to co-develop AI-driven healthtech companies.

“Early retinal screening for diabetic retinopathy and chronic disease closes a critical care gap,” John Noseworthy, MD, Chairman of the Aegis Digital Consortium and Emeritus CEO of Mayo Clinic, said in a press release.

“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."

Reference:

1. Health O. Optain Health Closes $26 Million Series A to Bring Oculomics to Primary Care and Beyond. Prnewswire.com. Published September 10, 2025. Accessed September 12, 2025. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/optain-health-closes-26-million-series-a-to-bring-oculomics-to-primary-care-and-beyond-302551962.html