The duo behind education start-up Go1 and investor Gopi Sara teamed up to launch OneMRI, a preventative care company that offers whole-body MRI scans.
Key Takeaways
- The co-founders of education start-up Go1, Vu Tran and Andrew Barnes, and prolific investor Gopi Sara have launched Australia’s first and only whole-body MRI scan start-up, OneMRI.
- OneMRI has so far banked $2.5 million in seed funding from the likes of OIF Ventures, Antler, TEN13, Salus Ventures and Afterwork Ventures.
- OneMRI says early trials have already identified life-threatening conditions in individual that may have otherwise gone undetected.
Key background
OneMRI, which launched in 2024, is designed for the early detection of more than 500 potential conditions, including cancers, metabolic disorders, autoimmune conditions, spinal degeneration and brain aneurysms, and says its goal is to make the preventative healthcare market more accessible to Australians with non-invasive, radiation-free imaging for ‘health curious’ individuals. (The company says its imaging is designed to complement, not replace, diagnostic tests that may be more appropriate for specific medical concerns).
Sara says appointments include pre-and-post-scan consultations with qualified clinicians and care coordinators, so patients understand their results and what potential next steps might look like.
It’s worth noting that Barnes and Tran, who rolled out of Y Combinator and into their education start-up Go1 in 2015, are no stranger to big business: their company achieved unicorn status in 2021, and later burst through a US$2 billion valuation in May 2023. Similarly Gopi Sara is ex-McKinsey, and a prolific angel investor.
Related
Big number
US$243 billion. That’s how big the global preventative healthcare tech and services market was valued at in 2022, and is expected to reach US$585.6 billion by 2030, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 11.8%.
$2.5 million. That’s how much OneMRI banked in seed funding to accelerate its expansion across the country.
Crucial quote
“Wellness and preventive health are only going to grow as sectors – and technology will play a critical role in that evolution,” – Dr Vu Tran, co-founder and head of medical, OneMRI.
“Right now, radiology is one of the most underutilised tools in preventive care. The ‘health curious’ increasingly want autonomy, access, and answers. Individuals should have the agency to take a proactive approach to their health, and whole-body MRI scans are one of the safest ways to do that – offering a multi-system snapshot in a single, radiation-free investigation.”
How it works
More than 100 MRI machines across Australia operate at just 30% capacity, according to OneMRI, so it partners with underutilised clinics to deliver its services without placing additional strain on Australia’s healthcare resources.
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