Wellumio, a New Zealand-based medical technology company developing a portable neuroimaging device for rapid, point-of-care stroke detection, has raised $7.28 million in the first close of its pre-Series A funding round to accelerate key clinical milestones.

Lead investor Nuance Connected Capital was supported by 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 also participated, alongside international investors through the New Zealand Government’s Active Investor Plus (AIP) programme and retail investors via Snowball Effect. Final allocations to additional investors will be made on the same terms.

Wellumio is transforming stroke care with its portable brain scan technology, Axana?, designed to rapidly detect acute stroke and unlock treatment within the critical ‘golden hour’ - when every second counts and outcomes can be dramatically improved. Stroke remains one of the leading causes of death and long-term disability globally, yet fewer than five per cent of patients currently receive treatment within the ‘golden hour’, when the likelihood of disability-free survival is highest.

Dr Shieak Tzeng, Co-founder and CEO of Wellumio, says the investment signals increasing investor confidence in the company’s mission to transform stroke diagnosis and recovery.

“The strong support we’ve received validates both the clinical need we are addressing and the progress we’ve made with Axana,” said Tzeng. “With this funding, we will build our team and capacity and accelerate key clinical milestones to advance our portable, AI-enhanced MRI-based brain imaging technology along the clinical-commercial pathway - to bring faster, bedside stroke diagnosis closer to real-world emergency care when every second counts. We’re encouraged by the continued interest from investors who share our long-term vision as we build the company’s next phase.”

Mitali Purohit, General Partner at Nuance Connected Capital and a Director of Wellumio, says the investment reflects the strong progress Wellumio is making in tackling one of the greatest challenges in global healthcare.

“This funding enables Wellumio to continue advancing Axana through clinical development, strengthen strategic partnerships globally and build a high-performing team,” said Purohit. “The progress achieved, and the demand from clinicians to date, reinforces our confidence in this breakthrough technology, as the company continues to build clinical evidence.”

Mark Ford, stroke survivor and global survivor advocate, says, “Millions of people around the world are affected by stroke each year, and one of the biggest levers is time: diagnose earlier, triage better, treat faster. As a stroke survivor, I believe portable imaging combined with smart workflow support can help reduce the ‘postcode lottery’ by bringing earlier diagnosis closer to the patient and enabling quicker decisions. That potential to scale across health systems is what makes innovations like this so compelling.”

Rapid, point-of-care brain imaging

Wellumio’s Axana scanner delivers MRI-based stroke diagnostics in a portable, battery-powered system designed for use directly at the point of care. By removing the need for contrast agents, cryogenics, or shielded rooms, and weighing just 50kg, Axana enables rapid brain imaging in emergency departments and other acute care environments where time-critical decisions are made.

Axana’s proprietary Pulsed Gradient Free Mapping (PGFM) technology, which was granted a U.S. patent in December 2025, has demonstrated agreement with conventional MRI across key stroke biomarkers in preclinical studies and first-in-human feasibility trials. This progress supports continued clinical development and Axana’s potential to significantly reduce time to diagnosis when every minute counts.

Transforming acute stroke care

Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and long-term disability globally, with patient outcomes closely tied to how quickly an accurate diagnosis occurs. Delays in identifying stroke type and severity frequently prevent patients from receiving appropriate treatment within the critical ‘golden hour’.

Axana is designed to change this paradigm by bringing advanced neuroimaging to the patient’s bedside. By delivering MRI-based stroke biomarkers in minutes, without radiation, contrast agents, specialised infrastructure, or on-site radiology staff, Axana enables faster clinical decision-making in emergency settings, supporting earlier intervention, improved outcomes, and reduced pressure on healthcare systems.

Clinical and commercial momentum

Wellumio is addressing a substantial global market opportunity for stroke diagnostic imaging, which the company estimates exceeds US$8.9 billion across in-hospital and pre-hospital care settings. The first close further underscores Axana’s clinical progress, technical differentiation, and commercial potential.

Led by an experienced founding team and supported by strong governance, an international advisory board, and a global network of clinical collaborators, Wellumio has built a robust intellectual property position over more than a decade of scientific research. Encouraging early clinical study results from leading stroke centres have reinforced confidence in the company’s approach.

The new funding will be used to build Wellumio’s team and capacity, advance clinical development, refine the Axana platform for scalable manufacturing, and support continued clinical evaluation across additional sites and geographies, as the company progresses toward a full close of the round.