OdySight is a game and vision testing platform for mobile devices that supports patients’ visual health and assists ophthalmology research
OdySight, a game and vision testing platform. (Credit: Tilak Healthcare.)
Tilak Healthcare, a pioneering company developing mobile games with medical modules to monitor patients with chronic ophthalmological conditions, has announced a €7 million fundraising round managed by Elaia, with the participation of Swen Capital Partners, Matmut Innovation, and co-founder and long-time investor iBionext Growth Fund. This latest investment shows continued confidence in the company.
According to the World Health Organisation: “Globally, at least 2.2 billion people have a near or distance vision impairment. In at least 1 billion – or almost half – of these cases, vision impairment could have been prevented or has yet to be addressed.” In response to this issue, Tilak Healthcare developed OdySight (CE labelled Class I Device), the first medical game for mobile devices used to remotely monitor age-related visual impairment. OdySight has already optimised the healthcare pathways of thousands of patients in Europe and the USA who are suffering from retina diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration or diabetic retinopathy, allowing their ophthalmologists to monitor their visual acuity in real time.
Guided by Professor José-Alain Sahel, founder of the Vision Institute and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Edouard Gasser, Tilak Healthcare’s CEO and a former Head of Studio at Gameloft, created a team that consists of experts with a total of more than three decades of experience creating video games, in addition to highly qualified, globally-recognised scientists. This unique blend of talent allows for the creation of engaging solutions for use by patients, which also meet doctors’ requirements for clinical rigour. The team is now supported by a new board with highly complementary skills: the expertise of Samantha Jérusalmy and Sacha Loiseau (Elaia), and Julien Bourret (Swen Capital Partners) will enhance that of Cédric Sellin, Bernard Gilly, and Alexia Perouse (iBionext).
This fundraising round will allow the company to continue its international rollout and diversification of offerings around OdySight. The OdySight rollout started in France where it is used by nearly 20% of retinologists. Now expansion is beginning in the USA as well as in Spain and Belgium. Tilak Healthcare also plans to launch OdySight Care, a remote vision monitoring solution for healthcare companies to meet the need for regular monitoring during clinical trials, and for health insurance groups for use in preventative health. The Matmut Group is very involved in this area, via Mutuelle Ociane Matmut, which motivated its participation during the funding round.
Edouard Gasser, co-founder and CEO of Tilak Healthcare, commented: “We are very pleased to have completed this funding round with a complementary group of investors, whose involvement, expertise, and shared ambition of making the company a global reference point for remote monitoring of visual impairment will support the growth of Tilak Healthcare. Visual health is one of the challenges in ageing well, as emphasised by World Sight Day, which takes place in October each year. At Tilak Healthcare, we believe that digital and video game technologies can contribute to solving some of the problems faced by healthcare systems around the world. We are delighted to be surrounded by people who share this vision.”
“We were immediately impressed by the complementary nature of the Tilak Healthcare team, consisting of video games professionals and medical experts with the validation of world-renowned ophthalmologist Professor Sahel. We are excited to be investing at a key moment in the company’s life to help it anchor its global leadership,” explained Samantha Jérusalmy, Partner at Elaia.
“Tilak Healthcare has succeeded in reconciling clinical rigour and digital expertise, making OdySight one of the only clinically approved digital solutions for home vision monitoring. Their solution is key, because it allows care pathways to be optimised,” added Sacha Loiseau, Venture Partner at Elaia.
“Since our initial involvement, Tilak Healthcare has demonstrated the clinical effectiveness of OdySight in monitoring chronic diseases, particularly in the area of sight. We are delighted to increase our financial support for this pioneer in remote monitoring,” commented Alexia Perouse, CEO of iBionext.
This latest financing round takes the amount Tilak Healthcare has raised since its creation in 2016 to over €12 million.
Source: Company Press Release