Ramona Optics raises $25M to commercialize microscopy technology

Durham-based Ramona Optics, a biotools company with ties to Duke University, has closed on $25 million in venture capital to advance its microscopy technology for biomedical research and drug discovery.

The Series A funding was led by ARCH Venture Partners with participation from Stealthpoint Ventures, ND Capital, Fall Line Capital, Hamamatsu Ventures, Murchison Capital Partners and Overlap Holdings. 
Funds will be used to scale commercial operations, advance Ramona’s proprietary multi-camera array microscopy (MCAM) technology, expand on-platform assay capabilities, and build strategic partnerships, the company said.

“We’re thrilled to partner with our investors to support a growing base of industry and academic customers with technology that delivers accurate, real-time measurements of complex living biology ─ helping scientists and doctors develop treatments that keep people living healthier, longer lives,” said Gregor Horstmeyer, chief executive officer of Ramona.

Not your parents’ microscope

The company’s microscope technology defies the stereotype of a scientist peering into an eyepiece to observe a biological sample on a glass slide. 

“For centuries, microscopes have been designed for the human eye,” Horstmeyer said. “Our MCAM technology is built for computation, because while seeing is believing, it isn’t quantitative. Today, advancing drug candidates and making accurate diagnoses requires statistically meaningful data: many measurements, not just one, to make sound decisions. This fundamental shift enables us to use artificial intelligence to extract insights from massive, high-definition datasets that are simply beyond the reach of human observation.”

The company said its MCAM architecture “massively parallelizes optics, illumination, sensing and computation to deliver the performance of a room full of microscopes in the palm of your hand, overcoming the long-standing tradeoff between field of view and resolution.”

MCAM, employing 24 cameras that stream images simultaneously, is the first gigapixel imaging engine capable of capturing cellular-level detail synchronously over hundreds of square centimeters, the company said. The technology accelerates discoveries in living systems by providing an enormous field of visual data in seconds, without sacrificing resolution.

The technology, supported by 29 patents and described in 23 peer-reviewed papers, is now available in benchtop systems for assays in multi-well plates, including Vireo for cellular models and Kestrel for small model organisms. It combines imaging with embedded AI to make large-scale biological data actionable in real time.

"At ARCH, we look for breakthrough science paired with stellar teams that can build versatile platforms and deliver real-world impact," said Patrick Weiss, venture partner at ARCH Venture Partners and chairman of the board of Ramona. "Ramona has developed a fundamentally new class of microscopy technology and translated it into commercial systems that are already being adopted by customers in academia and industry. Its massively parallel imaging and on-the-fly analysis generate the scale and consistency of data required to build AI models on biology that was previously too slow or too costly to observe. We believe the company is well-positioned to scale deployments of its products and expand its role in driving progress in biomedical research and drug discovery globally."

A family-oriented startup

Ramona’s interdisciplinary team of about two dozen staff includes 12 Ph.D. scientists with expertise spanning computational imaging, machine learning, computer architecture, cancer biology and neuroscience. The leadership team includes:

• Gregor Horstmeyer, the CEO, who drives Ramona's strategic direction, product vision, and business growth, drawing on a background leading engineering teams and delivering large-scale structural glass projects for clients including Apple and Google.
• Mark Harfouche, Ph.D., chief technology officer and co-founder, who oversees Ramona's technical strategy and product development, bringing experience in software engineering with expertise in computer vision, semiconductor design and scientific computing.
• Margaret Aery, chief operating officer and co-founder, who leads Ramona's business operations and organizational development, informed by previous experience managing multidisciplinary projects across media and live production. Aery earned a bachelor’s degree in English and film/video/digital studies from Duke.
• Roarke Horstmeyer, Ph.D., co-founder and scientific director, who guides Ramona's scientific direction. He is also an associate professor of biomedical engineering at Duke who earned his bachelor’s degree in physics from the university.

Ramona is a family-run company. Roarke and Gregor Horstmeyer are brothers, and Roarke is married to Margaret Aery. 

The company was named for Ramona Street in Palo Alto, Calif., where the Horstmeyer brothers lived when incubating their company with Harfouche.

The company’s entrepreneurial journey in Durham is profiled in a feature story published by Duke’s Pratt School of Engineering.

Read more about Ramona Optics:

1. Test bed in Winston-Salem boosts emerging field of regenerative medicine | North Carolina Biotechnology Center
2. Durham startup launches new live-cell imaging system | North Carolina Biotechnology Center
3. State Awards $1.5 Million in R&D Grants to 29 Companies | North Carolina Biotechnology Center