Health technology company Azalea Vision has raised €9 million ($10.3 million) in the first closing of its series A funding round. The funding will support the execution of Azalea Vision's first-in-human pilot clinical trial, which the company said is a key milestone in establishing the safety and performance of its medically intelligent ocular technology platform. The company is seeking investigational device exemption approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, with plans to continue clinical trials, and further advance commercialization efforts. Azalea Vision also appointed Robert Dempsey chairman of the board. Dempsey has more than 30 years of experience in the eyecare industry, including in executive positions. Robert Dempsey, chairman of the board for Azalea Vision. Courtesy of Azalea Vision via BusinessWire. A spinout of imec and Ghent University, Azalea Vision is developing a medical-grade smart lens platform designed to sense, adapt, and interact in real time. The company’s platform integrates stretchable electronics, custom-designed application-specific integrated circuits, liquid crystal optics, and near-field communication, all engineered into a lens-embedded system. Supported applications include vision correction, biosensing, and diagnostics.
