The CDC reports that about 5.1 million people (adults and children) have a history of epilepsy and about 2.9 million people have active epilepsy in the United States, with the most common causes being a stroke, brain injury, or a brain infection, among others.
Neel Mehta, co-founder and chief strategy officer of EpiFinder, a diagnostic app that helps medical professionals effectively diagnose epilepsy syndromes at the point-of-care, said there are many different types of epilepsy and the tool is geared to help doctors diagnose patients through signs and symptoms.
Using algorithms, AI, biometric instruments and more, the platform analyzes data from a patient’s brain wave activity from an electroencephalogram (EEG) and intake and provides a diagnosis, Mehta said.
Currently the product is being beta tested with clinical trials and they have a mutual partnership with Mayo Clinic.
“EpiFinder is geared towards epileptologists and neurologists. The doctors have been willing to test it,” Mehta said.
Mehta announced this month that EpiFinder recently closed on a $425,000 raise to continue development, grow the team and launch the product in Q1 2016.
EpiFinder started 18 months ago and entered the socially conscious incubator Seed Spot and spent time in the ASU Edson program as well. The company has expanded their team and added student interns. The company has also raised $50,000 through grant funding and pitch competitions, Mehta said.
Mehta said what is most exciting about building a company is “the economical and social impact that this app will bring in the marketplace and help save patients lives. We [also] want to make an impact in terms of job creation and bring more transparency to healthcare.”
Looking ahead, Mehta said the company intends to create partnerships with hospital epileptologists and neurologists, build out a SaaS business model for doctors and continue to expand sales and marketing efforts.
Read all about Epifinder at AZ Tech Beat.
