Ivory, a brain health startup, has raised INR 8.5 crores (USD 1 million) in a funding round led by IIM-A Ventures and early-stage investor Capital A. This is a big milestone in their mission to make cognitive health solutions accessible to all in India. 1Crowd, Stanford Angels and a bunch of angel investors including Dr. Sanjay Arora, Adarsh Narahari and Juhi Bhatnagar also participated in the round.
This is just months after Ivory raised INR 4.2 crores (USD 500K) in February 2024, also led by Capital A. Clearly, investors are very confident in the startup and its vision.
Founded in October 2022 by Issac John and Rahul Krishnan, Ivory is a Bengaluru based company that focuses on early detection of cognitive decline through neuroscience driven digital assessments. The platform aims to address underdiagnosis of cognitive impairment in India and create preventive, accessible tools for neurodegenerative diseases.
A Growing Health Concern
Ivory’s approach is driven by the growing need for cognitive wellness in India, especially as the population ages. According to co-founder Issac John, “Science says that, just as we lose muscle mass over time, our brain also shrinks in volume by about 5% every decade after our late 30s. Despite this, clinical-grade assessments are still not widely adopted.”
With over 18,000 cognitive assessments already conducted across India, Ivory provides clinical-grade cognitive screening and brain training through a mobile app, which is also FDA-registered. Their user base includes both individual consumers and partnerships with clinicians, psychologists, insurance providers, and corporates like Ather Energy, WeWork, and PUMA.
Two Core Products: Assessment and Daily Companion
Ivory’s platform is centered around two flagship offerings:
- A cognitive assessment tool that profiles your cognitive strengths and weaknesses and detects early signs of neurodegeneration.
- A subscription based daily companion app that has brain training exercises, health tracking features and soon to be launched modules on stress and sleep management to integrate holistic lifestyle wellness.
Plans for Expansion and Research
The newly raised funds will be directed towards:
- Enhancing AI capabilities to personalise assessments.
- Expanding distribution to new geographies beyond India’s urban Tier-1 centers.
- Making the platform language-agnostic and culturally adaptive, to reach broader demographics.
- Investing in research to build cognitive health benchmarks tailored for Indian populations.
Investor Confidence in Preventive Brain Health
Vipul Patel, Partner at IIM-A Ventures, remarked, “Of the four horsemen of chronic illness, neurodegenerative diseases remain the least understood and most difficult to reverse. Ivory’s vision to bring early, accessible cognitive screening into everyday preventive health is both timely and essential.”
Ankit Kedia, Founder of Capital A, echoed this sentiment, adding, “There is a growing awareness that brain health is a core pillar of preventive care, and yet solutions remain limited. Ivory is bringing a data-led, clinically grounded platform to the table, and we believe their work will shape the future of aging and mental wellness.”
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Media Presence and Recognition
In addition to the funding Ivory also released a Brain Health Report and appeared on Shark Tank India Season 4, further cementing its position in the health-tech space.
As Ivory moves faster on its innovation and distribution roadmap it will redefine brain health diagnostics and care not just for the elderly but for a larger demographic looking for preventive wellness solutions.