Seva Foundation Awards $480,000 to Five Teams Reimagining Eye Care
For nearly 50 years, Seva Foundation has done one thing relentlessly well: make quality eye care reach people the market forgot. Not through charity alone, but through calculated, disruptive innovation that has driven down the cost of care across the global eye care industry.
The Innovation Challenge is the latest chapter. Clinicians, researchers, and entrepreneurs from around the world submitted bold ideas to fight avoidable blindness and vision loss. Five winning teams will share a $480,000 prize pool.
“This is what venture philanthropy should look like: backing the people closest to the care, doing the hardest work, with the boldest ideas. Ethical tech for good isn’t a side bet for us, it’s how we’ve operated for five decades. When innovation comes from people who understand the patient in front of them, it’s worth continued investment.”
— Kate Moynihan, CEO, Seva Foundation
Why it matters
Avoidable blindness still traps millions of people in poverty. The five winning ideas target that problem directly, making eye care more accessible, more affordable, and more effective for underserved communities worldwide.
The track record
Seva didn’t arrive at this moment by accident. Five decades of low-cost, high-impact eye care models have shaped how the entire field thinks about delivering care at scale. The Innovation Challenge builds on that legacy; proof that good ideas, backed early, can change an industry.
Get involved
If venture philanthropy is part of how you or your family think about giving, or if you want in on ethical tech built for good, this is the moment. Your support makes eye care more accessible, affordable, and effective for the people who need it most.
To our supporters: thank you. Your generosity is what lets Seva bet on promising ideas before anyone else will. That’s how quality eye care gets closer to everyone, everywhere.
Meet the Winners!
Kevin Jin
Retina Triage Algorithm (USA)
Kevin, a student at Duke University, developed an AI-powered retinal triage solution that can help identify patients who have abnormal images, enabling earlier intervention and more efficient use of limited specialist resources. This differs from algorithms that are specific to diabetic retinopathy or suspected glaucoma and provides a broad initial triage we find critical when expanding retinal imaging.
Prediscan
Cardiovascular Oculomics
(Chennai, India)
Prediscan’s AtheroSEE AI uses a simple eye scan to detect silent cardiovascular risk, helping make preventive heart care more accessible and affordable. By revealing systemic health risks through the eye, this innovation demonstrates the growing potential of ocular diagnostics. It also offers large-scale access to earlier treatment, not just for eye conditions but for the heart.
Eyerobo (Adaptica/Hangzhou AI)
Automated AI Non-Mydriatic Camera (China & Italy)
Eyerobo is advancing automated retinal imaging technology that can capture high-quality eye images without dilation, expanding opportunities for screening in primary care and community settings. They pair their cameras with AI reports for diabetic retinopathy, suspected glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration, and we’re excited to diversify the retinal cameras used by Seva partners with their offering!
Photonic Medicines
Implanted Light Therapy for Diabetic Retinopathy (USA)
Photonic Medicines is developing a one-time phototherapy implant designed for the long-term management of diabetic retinal diseases. Their approach could offer a durable and cost-effective treatment option for patients at risk of vision loss, instead of repeated eye injections for patients who are non-compliant or uncomfortable with treatment options.
ProCyto Labs
Allergen-Blocking Eye Gel
(Bhubaneswar, India)
ProCyto Labs is a biotechnology company focused on practical healthcare innovations. Its lead product is a novel, drug-free, and preservative-free allergen-blocking eye gel that offers a safer, preventive, and long-lasting approach to managing chronic eye allergies, irritants, and VKD (Vernal Keratoconjunctivitis).
A Future Built on Innovation
The future of global eye health depends on bold ideas like these. The winning innovations have the potential to expand access to care, improve outcomes, and help more people receive the eye care they need.
We congratulate the winning teams, thank every applicant for sharing their ideas, and are deeply grateful to our donors. Your generosity makes it possible to invest in innovations that can improve lives and bring quality eye care within reach for more people.
Together, we’re building a future where everyone, everywhere, has the opportunity to see.
In Systems we trust,
Katie McMillan
Director, Technology Studies
Seva Foundation
