The UC Berkeley-founded MRI scanner technology spinout graduated from the SkyDeck accelerator in 2018 and has now announced its inaugural round of funding.
InkSpace Imaging, a US-based MRI scanner coil manufacturing spinout of University of California (UC) Berkeley, closed an inaugural funding round of undisclosed size yesterday with the backing of unnamed investors.
Founded in 2016, InkSpace Imaging uses a 3D printing technology to make paediatric MRI coils, components fastened over specific parts of the child’s body to receive radio frequencies during examinations.
The coils are intended to be more lightweight, comfortable and effective than conventional alternatives, improving the image quality of results while limiting quantities of anaesthetics required for each exam.
US healthcare regulator Food and Drug Administration has cautioned against repeated or lengthy courses of anaesthesia for children younger than three years old.
InkSpace products are already in service at UC San Francisco’s Medical Center and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at the Stanford University system. The funding will support business expansion, including the possibility of making MRI coils for medical fields aside from paediatrics.
Ana Arias, a professor at the Berkeley Wireless Research Center who leads a lab focused on flexible devices and systems, helped start the company.
InkSpace graduated from the spring 2018 edition of UC Berkeley’s SkyDeck accelerator, which generally bestows participants with a $100,000 convertible note from the SkyDeck Fund in exchange for 5% equity.
Arias said: “We are excited to begin the new year with this round of funding with partners who share the same goals as our company.”
