Brain Health Startup Ivory Raised $1 Mn Funding, Launches 'Treadmill Test' for Cognitive Assessments & Preventive Care
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The new capital will enhance Ivory’s product offerings, expand clinical capabilities, and develop intellectual property focused on cognitive screening.
Brain Healthtech Startup Ivory has raised $1 Mn in fresh funding, along with onboarding new investors to deepen its product, clinical, and IP capabilities.
The round saw participation from Draper Associates, a global venture capital firm with a focus on biotech and healthtech, along with SAGE Venture Fund, an AIF fund launched by Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) (selection partners for Startups) and managed by IFCI Venture, a subsidiary of IFCI Limited and Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI).
Founded in 2023 by Issac John and Rahul Krishnan during an Antler residency program, Ivory's AI-powered, neuroscience-based platform provides measurable and trackable cognitive functions, including attention, memory, and executive function.
With this capital, the company plans to further strengthen its technology stack, expand clinical capabilities, and enhance its product offerings, particularly in building scalable, evidence-based solutions that integrate seamlessly across both consumer and clinical workflows.
Sharing thoughts, Rahul Krishnan, Co-founder & CPO, Ivory, said “Preventive healthcare in India is at an inflection point, but cognitive health has largely remained outside this shift. Our focus at Ivory is to make brain health measurable and actionable, much like other key health biomarkers. This round allows us to deepen our clinical and product capabilities, while continuing to build a scalable, digital-first layer for cognitive screening across both consumers and healthcare systems.”
Furthermore, this investment reflects broader institutional support for early-stage startups focused on public health impact, with organizations like IFCI Venture and initiatives supported by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment playing an important role in enabling innovation in critical healthcare segments for Silver Economy in India.
Anish Babu, Managing Director, IFCI Venture, said “We are seeing strong momentum in startups building for preventive healthcare and large-scale health impact. Ivory is addressing a significant unmet need in cognitive health through a clinically grounded and technology-led approach. We are pleased to support their journey as they work towards making early cognitive screening more accessible and mainstream in India.”
The startup has introduced a groundbreaking "treadmill test" for the brain, aiming to bridge a significant gap in cognitive health assessment.
Ivory’s cognitive assessments give users a baseline score that is benchmarked against age and gender, alongside a detailed breakdown of various cognitive skills and actionable recommendations for improvement.
Currently, Ivory is developing clinically validated tools that utilize a combination of digital markers and voice-based biomarkers, with ongoing trials in hospital settings to establish baseline datasets.
The startup has also been expanding its partnerships across the healthcare ecosystem. Most recently, Ivory collaborated with Metropolis Healthcare, a multinational chain of diagnostic labs, to launch the TruHealth Mind & Body package, an integrated preventive health offering that combines pathology diagnostics with neuroscience-based cognitive assessments.
This offering brings together physical and cognitive health into a single screening experience, enabling individuals to track key cognitive functions such as memory, attention, and executive function alongside traditional health markers, reflecting a more holistic approach to preventive care.
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