New Zealand medical technology company Wellumio, developer of portable brain imaging device Axana, has announced the final close of an oversubscribed NZD $9.75 million pre-Series A funding round.
The funding, including from New Zealand, Australian and US-based investors, will expand the company’s team and capabilities while accelerating clinical, regulatory and commercial milestones for the device which is designed for point-of-care stroke detection.
The investment will be used to expand Wellumio’s team, advance clinical and product development, and enable the next phase of clinical evaluation across additional sites and geographies.
Wellumio co-founder and CEO Dr Shieak Tzeng said international investor support showed growing global confidence in Wellumio’s mission to improve stroke diagnosis and recovery through its portable neuroimaging technology.
“Every minute counts in stroke care, yet only a small proportion of patients receive treatment within the ‘golden hour’, when timely intervention offers the best chance of reducing long-term disability. Our portable, AI-enhanced MRI-based brain imaging technology is designed to rapidly detect acute stroke at the point of care, helping clinicians make faster treatment decisions when time matters most,” Dr Tzeng said.
“The additional investment, combined with the expertise and international networks our investors bring, will help accelerate our clinical validation, regulatory and commercial milestones as we work to bring our technology closer to healthcare providers and patients who need it most.”
INVESTORS
The final close attracted two new international investors – Bioshore Ventures, an Australian medtech investor, and Jumpspace Ventures -an early-stage US venture capital firm focused on neurotechnology.
Their participation broadens Wellumio’s international investor base and adds expertise and global networks to support the company’s next stage of growth.
The round was led by Nuance Connected Capital, with participation from Icehouse Ventures, NZ Growth Capital Partners (NZGCP)’s Aspire Seed Fund, Pacific Channel, Booster and Cure Kids Ventures. Angel investor groups Flying Kiwi and Enterprise Angels joined international investors through the New Zealand Government’s Active Investor Plus (AIP) programme and retail investors via Snowball Effect.
Bioshore Ventures general partner Jeff Reid said, “Bioshore Ventures is delighted to participate in Wellumio’s pre-Series A round. As a dedicated medtech fund focused on game-changing technologies developed in our region, we have been extremely impressed by what the Wellumio team has achieved.”
“There is a significant global opportunity to improve stroke care, with timely diagnosis being a critical element of the care continuum. We believe Axana is at the forefront of a major shift toward faster, point-of-care stroke diagnosis, and we look forward to working with the Wellumio team to bring this technology to healthcare systems around the world.”
Jumpspace Ventures founder and general partner Adam Caplan said, “Jumpspace Ventures is excited to support Wellumio as it advances a fundamentally important neurotechnology platform. Stroke care depends on rapid, accurate diagnosis, yet brain imaging too often remains tied to centralised hospital infrastructure.”
“Wellumio’s portable, MRI-based approach has the potential to move critical diagnostic information closer to the patient and meaningfully improve treatment decisions when every minute matters.”
BUILDING CAPABILITY
Wellumio has strengthened its leadership team with the appointment of experienced senior medtech executives including Harry Marfatia – further building the capabilities needed to advance clinical validation, product development and commercialisation.
Mr Marfatia has joined as head of finance and is based in Wellumio’s Melbourne office. He previously served as APAC chief financial officer at Telix Pharmaceuticals, where he was an early employee and helped support the company’s growth to unicorn status.
The appointments further strengthen Wellumio’s experienced founding team, governance, international advisory board and global network of clinical collaborators as the company enters its next phase of growth.
POINT-OF-CARE IMAGING
Wellumio’s Axana scanner is a portable, battery-powered brain imaging device designed to deliver MRI-based stroke assessment directly at the point of care.
Weighing 50kg and requiring no contrast agents, cryogenics or shielded rooms, it has the potential to bring rapid neuroimaging into emergency departments and other acute care settings where every minute matters.
Axana’s proprietary Pulsed Gradient Free Mapping (PGFM) technology, which received a US patent in December 2025, has demonstrated agreement with conventional MRI across key stroke biomarkers in preclinical studies and first-in-human feasibility trials.
Wellumio said the results supported the product’s continued clinical development as it progresses toward regulatory approval and commercialisation, with the goal of bringing faster stroke diagnosis to patients.
Add Comment