CellScope raises $1M from Khosla Ventures to create smartphone imaging devices for at-home medical diagnosis
CellScope, a mobile health startup building systems for at-home diagnosis, and recent graduate of Rock Health’s first class of startups, announced today that it has raised $1M in seed funding from Khosla Ventures. Using smartphone cameras connected to a web platform, Cellscope is creating the digital first aid kit.
“We are leveraging the ubiquity of mobile devices to extend and improve care,” says CellScope CEO Erik Douglas. “We are thrilled to work with Vinod Khosla to build this vision, and improve the lives of patients and parents everywhere.”
The company’s first product is a smartphone-enabled otoscope for remote diagnosis of pediatric ear infections, which cause 30 million doctor visits annually in the US. Parents will be able to use the device from the convenience of home to share images of the eardrum with remote pediatricians for diagnosis, treatment and monitoring. In the lives of busy parents, this means less missed work, fewer late-night ER visits, and increased revenue for doctors.
“Health data, the key ingredient to useful analysis and diagnosis, is starting to explode exponentially – and CellScope is on the cutting edge,” says investor Vinod Khosla. “Erik and his team are creating next-generation technology that will empower patients and help them access the best care in the most efficient manner possible.”
“Companies like Cellscope, who are rethinking consumer health, have the power to transform our very large and complex health care system,” says Halle Tecco, CEO of Rock Health. “We are proud to support innovators like Amy and Erik who are moving the digital health ecosystem forward.”
CellScope started in bioengineering Professor Dan Fletcher’s lab at UC Berkeley working on mobile microscopy for remote diagnosis in developing countries. The team went through Rock Health’s first class in San Francisco in 2011. Future CellScope products will leverage the platform for throat and skin exams and non-clinical applications including consumer skincare. The system is currently in pilot testing with doctors in the Bay Area.
To learn more, go to cellscope.com, or follow @cellscope on Twitter.
About Cellscope
CellScope uses optical attachments to turn smartphones into a diagnostic-quality imaging system. These patent-pending technologies empower consumers to save money and increase health by bringing expert diagnosis and advice into the home. Founders Erik Douglas and Amy Sheng founded Cellscope in 2010 while working on mobile microscopy in Professor Dan Fletcher’s lab at Berkeley. The company also took part in the first class at Rock Health, a seed accelerator for health startups based in San Francisco.
About Khosla Ventures
Khosla Ventures offers venture assistance, strategic advice and capital to entrepreneurs. The firm helps entrepreneurs extend the potential of their ideas in breakthrough technologies in mobile, internet, computing, health, clean energy, food, agriculture and semiconductors. Vinod Khosla founded the firm in 2004 and was formerly a General Partner at Kleiner Perkins and founder of Sun Microsystems. Khosla Ventures is based in Menlo Park, Calif. More information is available at www.khoslaventures.com.
For media inquiries, contact Erik Douglas at erik@cellscope.com.