Wellumio has announced the final close of an oversubscribed US$9.75 million pre-Series A funding round, which will help the company to expand its team and capabilities while accelerating clinical, regulatory and commercial milestones across additional sites and geographies.
The final close attracted two new international investors: Australian medtech investor Bioshore Ventures and early-stage US venture capital firm Jumpspace Ventures. According to Wellumio, their participation broadens the company’s international investor base, and adds expertise and global networks to support its next stage of growth.
The round was led by Nuance Connected Capital, with participation from Icehouse Ventures, NZ Growth Capital Partners’ 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.
“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,” said Shieak Tzeng, co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Wellumio. “Our portable, AI [artificial intelligence]-enhanced, MRI [magnetic resonance imaging]-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.
“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.”
Wellumio has also strengthened its leadership team with the appointment of experienced senior medtech executives, including Harry Marfatia as head of finance, further building the capabilities needed to advance clinical validation, product development and commercialisation, as stated in a press release.
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 just 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, according to the company.
The proprietary pulsed gradient free mapping (PGFM) technology utilised by Axana, 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. In the company’s view, these results support Wellumio’s continued clinical development as it progresses toward regulatory approval and commercialisation, with the goal of bringing faster stroke diagnosis to patients.
