US-based retinal imaging system developer NeuroVision Imaging has raised $11.2m in series C funding from investors including eyewear and insurance provider VSP Global and medical product group Johnson & Johnson.
Family office Wildcat Capital Management led the round, which included Nikon-SBI Innovation Fund, a fund backed by optical and measurements equipment maker Nikon, as well as Whittier Ventures, part of investment management firm Whittier Trust.
Johnson & Johnson participated through corporate venturing unit Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC. The funding represented the first close of a round expected to close at $15m, the company said.
Founded in 2010, NeuroVision is developing retinal imaging and diagnostics technology intended to treat Alzheimer’s disease by helping to catch amyloid-beta plaques, amino acid deposits closely linked to the onset of the condition.
The company holds an exclusive worldwide licence for the technology from Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre, where it originated from research led by two neurosurgery specialists, Keith Black and Maya Koronyo-Hamaoui.
Wildcat had previously invested $5m in NeuroVision’s $10m series B round in 2016, two years after NeuroVision CEO Steven Verdooner told BioWorld the company had raised $4.2m in debt and equity financing and was preparing for a series A round.