Stroke diagnostics innovator Wellumio seeks investors to transform stroke recovery
Wellumio is transforming stroke care with portable brain scans to rapidly detect acute stroke that cuts diagnosis time and unlocks treatment in the ‘golden hour’ when every second counts
WELLINGTON, New Zealand, September 16, 2025 – Wellumio, a New Zealand-based medical technology company pioneering the future of stroke diagnostics with its portable neuroimaging device, Axana®, for rapid, point-of-care detection of stroke, is seeking investors to accelerate its breakthrough solution.
Currently, less than 5% of stroke patients receive treatment within the critical ‘golden hour’ when the chance of disability free survival is highest – and access to fast, accurate diagnosis tools can significantly improve diagnosis, treatment and outcomes. Wellumio’s Axana scanner brings advanced neuroimaging to the patient’s bedside to detect acute stroke biomarkers – reducing diagnosis time by over 90% and providing critical insights into the severity and extent of stroke-related damage.
Wellumio’s Snowball Effect crowdfunding equity investment campaign launched today to give an opportunity to invest alongside existing shareholders including Nuance Capital, Movac, Icehouse Ventures, Cure Kids Ventures, NZ Growth Capital Partners (NZGCP)’s Aspire Seed Fund, Outset Ventures and Booster Innovation Fund.
Dr. Shieak Tzeng, Co-founder and CEO of Wellumio, says with an estimated one in four people globally over the age of 25 suffering a stroke in their lifetime, Wellumio is on a mission to transform stroke recovery while saving significant healthcare costs.
“Our portable AI-enhanced, magnetic resonance-based brain scanner is significantly faster than traditional MRIs, making it ideal for quick assessments in emergency situations when every second counts. Delivering radial maps of the brain in minutes, Axana empowers emergency physicians, neurologists, radiologists, and stroke care team members to rapidly detect strokes and guide critical treatment decisions during the crucial golden hour of care. We’ve already received strong early interest from clinical networks and hospital heads, and this investment will allow us to accelerate our transition to commercial readiness.”
Mitali Purohit, General Partner at Nuance Capital, the lead investor for the Series Pre-A investment round, and a Director of Wellumio, says, “Nuance invested in Wellumio because they are tackling one of the greatest challenges in global healthcare. Axana is already showing promising results in clinical trials, offering a glimpse of a future where stroke, one of the world’s leading causes of death and disability, can be diagnosed earlier and more accurately. Wellumio’s technology holds exciting potential not only in stroke, which is the current focus, but also for future applications in a range of brain-related conditions and injuries.”
Rapid, point-of-care brain imaging
Axana disrupts the status quo of traditional large, immobile hospital-based imaging systems by delivering gold-standard MRI-based diagnostics in a portable, battery-powered format. Weighing just 50kg and requiring no contrast agents, cryogenics, or shielded rooms, it enables brain imaging directly in emergency departments, rural hospitals, and mobile stroke units—cutting 1–2 hours from diagnosis-to-treatment timelines. Wellumio’s patent-pending PGFM (Pulsed Gradient Free Mapping) technology has shown agreement with MRI on key stroke biomarkers in preclinical and first-in-human feasibility studies, positioning the company for multi-centre trials to support regulatory approval.
Transforming acute stroke care
Strokes are one of the leading causes of death worldwide. A stroke is the result of a bleed or a blood clot blocking the blood supply to part of the brain, and quickly restoring normal blood flow can prevent or reduce the severity of damage. This is why time is critical in treating a stroke. Wellumio’s Axana scanner transforms acute stroke care by bringing neuroimaging to the patient’s bedside to deliver MRI-based stroke biomarkers in just four minutes, without radiation, and without requiring contrast agent injection, specialised infrastructure or radiology staff.
In addition to the human cost of strokes, there are significant costs incurred by healthcare systems due to the current diagnosis and treatment approach. Delays in treatment increase mortality, prolong hospital stays, and lead to higher costs for rehabilitation and long-term care. These per-patient costs often exceed US$140,000 in direct and indirect expenses. The American Heart Association estimated that in the US alone, stroke imposes a US$53bn annual economic burden. Axana is designed for earlier intervention to reduce both the human burden of stroke and minimise the need for costly therapies and lifetime care for disabled patients.
Commercial and clinical progress
Wellumio is addressing a global market opportunity for stroke diagnostic imaging technology which the company estimates exceeds US$8.9 billion, comprising US$3.8 billion in the in-hospital setting and US$5.1 billion in pre-hospital care, with the U.S. hospital market alone represents US$1.5 billion.
An experienced founding team leads Wellumio, supported by strong governance, an international advisory board, and a global network of clinical advisors. Over the past decade of scientific research, Wellumio has developed a robust IP portfolio, leveraging a combination of patents and trade secrets. A recent highlight is the excellent indicators from initial clinical trials conducted at the Royal Melbourne Hospital in partnership with the Australian Stroke Alliance (ASA), Australasia’s largest stroke network.
Wellumio has a clear regulatory and commercial launch strategy in place. The company will use the new funding to finalise product development for scalable, cost-effective manufacturing, achieve ISO certification for global regulatory compliance and expand its clinical trials into the US. These trials will lay the groundwork for a multicentre emergency department pivotal trial across Australia and the US at a later date, which will generate the clinical evidence required for FDA submission and ultimately clinical adoption.
For more information on Wellumio, visit www.wellumio.com, and on the Snowball Effect equity investment campaign, visit https://www.snowballeffect.co.nz/offers/preview/wellumio-f1his
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About Wellumio
Wellumio is a New Zealand-based medical device company transforming acute stroke care with its innovative Axana® device. The portable, lightweight technology utilises a groundbreaking Pulsed Gradient Free Mapping (PGFM) method to rapidly identify areas of brain tissue affected by stroke. Designed to address the limitations of traditional MRI systems, Axana enables frontline healthcare workers in diverse settings, including emergency departments and ICUs, to make timely, life-saving interventions within the critical golden hour, leading to better patient outcomes. For more information, visit www.wellumio.com
