GV, a corporate venturing subsidiary of internet and technology conglomerate Alphabet, took part in a $50m series B round for US-based stroke diagnostics technology developer Viz.ai on Wednesday.
The round was led by investment firm Greenoaks Capital and was also backed by venture capital firms Threshold Ventures, CRV and Kleiner Perkins. It boosted Viz’s overall funding to more than $78m.
Founded in 2016, Viz has created a deep learning-driven system that helps healthcare providers identify patients who have suffered an acute ischemic stroke so they can promptly be seen by a specialist.
The platform, dubbed Viz LVO, automatically scans CT images of the patient’s brain and alerts a stroke specialist if there are suspected blockages of large blood vessels – a major sign that acute ischemic stroke could be imminent.
Viz’s software is currently used in more than 300 hospitals in the US. The funding will help adapt the technology for additional diseases while also enabling the company to enter new geographical markets.
Kleiner Perkins’ predecessor, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, led the company’s $21m series A round in July 2018, investing alongside GV.
Viz had secured approximately $7.3m over two transactions in 2016 and 2017 according to regulatory filings. MobiHealthNews reported that the filings represented a single round co-led by DHVC and Innovation Endeavors that included AME Cloud Ventures and Susa Ventures.
VC fund Seedcamp also provided the company with funding at some stage, though details of its investment have not been disclosed.