PhotoniCare
PhotoniCare develops the OtoSight Middle Ear Scope, the first FDA-cleared handheld OCT-based otoscope enabling non-invasive middle ear imaging and fluid detection, serving pediatricians, urgent care, and ENT specialists to improve pediatric ear infection diagnosis and reduce unnecessary antibiotic prescribing.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersChampaign, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What PhotoniCare does
PhotoniCare is a privately held medical device company founded in 2013 that has developed the OtoSight Middle Ear Scope, the first and only FDA-cleared handheld otoscope to provide non-invasive imaging of the middle ear using Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT). The device combines a traditional true-color video otoscope view with a proprietary middle ear scan that detects the presence and characterizes the type and density of fluid behind the eardrum, even in the presence of significant earwax, achieving 90.6% diagnostic accuracy versus roughly 50% for standard otoscopy. PhotoniCare targets frontline pediatric, urgent-care, and family practice clinicians, as well as ENT specialists, addressing the population of children affected by ear infections (more than 80% by age three) and the resulting overuse of antibiotics and unnecessary tympanostomy tube surgeries (over one million annually in the US).
The company's revenue model is built on hardware sales of the OtoSight device combined with a procedure-based revenue stream enabled by unique Category III CPT reimbursement codes (0485T and 0486T), with the company providing dedicated coverage, coding, and appeals support to healthcare providers. Go-to-market combines direct enterprise sales to clinics (including a 'Trailblazer' early-adopter program), international distribution partnerships (Japan and an Australian pilot with an aboriginal population), and an OEM manufacturing relationship with Gentex Corporation. The company was spun out of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, has received over $6 million in NIH SBIR grants (including AI development funding), raised approximately $15-20 million in equity across multiple rounds through a December 2024 Series B first close, and relocated its headquarters from Champaign, Illinois to Grand Rapids, Michigan in late 2024.
PhotoniCare firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- PhotoniCare
- Legal name
- PhotoniCare, Inc.
- Website
- https://photoni.care
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- PhotoniCare develops the OtoSight Middle Ear Scope, the first FDA-cleared handheld OCT-based otoscope enabling non-invasive middle ear imaging and fluid detection, serving pediatricians, urgent care, and ENT specialists to improve pediatric ear infection diagnosis and reduce unnecessary antibiotic prescribing.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
PhotoniCare industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Medical Diagnostic Imaging Devices
- NAICS
- Electromedical and Electrotherapeutic Apparatus Manufacturing (334510)
- SIC
- Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841), Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Otology & Neurotology (Ear/Hearing/Balance) (HLAKAMAC)
Keywords
Where PhotoniCare is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Champaign
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
PhotoniCare business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- OtoSight Middle Ear Scope Device Sales: Sale of FDA-cleared medical device hardware for middle ear diagnostics. The handheld OCT otoscope is sold to healthcare providers including pediatricians, urgent care, family practices, and ENT specialists.
- Reimbursement / Procedure Billing: OtoSight Middle Ear Scope can be billed with two Category III CPT Codes 0485T and 0486T. Company provides dedicated reimbursement support for coverage, coding, and appeals assistance.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Medical device - quote-based pricing |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
PhotoniCare product offering
Product offeringCore offering
PhotoniCare develops and sells the OtoSight Middle Ear Scope, an FDA-cleared handheld medical device that uses Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) to non-invasively image the middle ear. The device detects the presence or absence of fluid, characterizes fluid type, and visualizes fluid density, even in the presence of significant earwax, achieving 90.6% accuracy versus 50% with standard otoscopy.
Product overview
PhotoniCare offers a single flagship product: the OtoSight Middle Ear Scope, an FDA-cleared handheld medical device that represents the first and only otoscope to provide non-invasive imaging of the middle ear using Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) technology. The device combines traditional video otoscopy (providing true color views of the ear canal and eardrum) with a proprietary middle ear scan feature that visualizes through the eardrum to detect and characterize fluid. The product targets frontline care clinicians including pediatricians, family practitioners, and urgent care providers, with dedicated versions including models with and without WiFi capability. The technology was developed from research at the University of Illinois and has been validated in multiple peer-reviewed clinical studies.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- OtoSight Middle Ear Scope: FDA-cleared handheld diagnostic device using Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) technology for non-invasive imaging of the middle ear to detect and characterize fluid in patients with suspected ear infections.
Products and services
- OtoSight Middle Ear Scope The OtoSight Middle Ear Scope is a handheld medical device combining true-color video otoscopy with OCT-based middle ear scanning. It enables healthcare providers to visualize through the eardrum to detect and characterize middle ear fluid non-invasively. Designed for pediatricians, family practitioners, urgent care clinicians, and ENT specialists.
Quantifiable outcome
- 90.6% accuracy in detecting middle ear effusion (fluid) vs 50% accuracy with standard otoscopy
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use PhotoniCare
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
PhotoniCare technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability4 records
Feature3 records
PhotoniCare partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered regional.
- Japanese Distribution PartnerregionalDistribution partnership in Japan for international market expansion. Part of global commercialization strategy.
- NCBiotech Landing PadregionalNorth Carolina Biotechnology Center provided office space, resources, contacts, and support for PhotoniCare's establishment in North Carolina in 2021. Landing Pad provides space to life sciences companies establishing presence in the state.
- Australian Aboriginal Health PartnerregionalPilot program in Australia with aboriginal population which has one of the world's highest rates of middle-ear infections in children. Strategic pilot to validate technology in high-need population.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
PhotoniCare competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Welch Allyn (Baxter International): Welch Allyn, now part of Baxter International, is the dominant incumbent in frontline otoscopy with deep pediatric and primary-care distribution. PhotoniCare's former CEO advisory board member Steve Meyer was the last CEO of Welch Allyn, underscoring the competitive and partnership overlap in the otoscope category.
- Hillrom (Baxter International): Hillrom, acquired by Baxter, distributes the Welch Allyn otoscope and broader vital-signs product lines into hospitals and physician offices globally. As the entrenched diagnostic-device incumbent in the same exam rooms PhotoniCare targets, it is the primary competitor that could add imaging features to existing otoscopes.
- Heine Optotechnik: Heine is a global manufacturer of high-quality diagnostic instruments including otoscopes used by ENTs and pediatricians. As a long-established otoscope specialist with international distribution, it represents the incumbent product PhotoniCare must displace or differentiate against in clinical purchase decisions.
- Natus Medical (Otometrics): Natus Medical, owner of the Otometrics brand, supplies audiology and hearing-diagnostic equipment including tympanometry and otoacoustic emission systems used alongside otoscopy. PhotoniCare's OCT-based middle-ear imaging competes with and could complement Natus's audiology diagnostic workflow in ENT clinics.
Direct peers
- TytoCare: TytoCare offers a handheld, connected telehealth diagnostic device that includes a digital otoscope for remote ear examination, directly competing with OtoSight in enabling clinician visualization of the middle ear. Both companies target pediatric primary care and urgent care with FDA-cleared connected hardware.
- Eko Health: Eko Health makes connected, AI-enabled handheld diagnostic devices (initially digital stethoscopes) sold into frontline care with FDA clearances and AI decision-support features. PhotoniCare's OtoSight follows a similar playbook of augmenting a familiar exam tool with novel optical/AI technology for primary-care clinicians.
Emerging players
- Butterfly Network: Butterfly Network commercializes a handheld, AI-enabled point-of-care imaging device (whole-body ultrasound) sold to clinicians with FDA clearance and a recurring software/reimbursement model. PhotoniCare's OtoSight shares the handheld-imaging-plus-AI commercial model and frontline-care target customer base.
- Remmie Health: Remmie Health develops connected otoscope and ENT home-diagnostic devices for parents and clinicians, targeting pediatric ear infection assessment with smartphone-attached visualization. It overlaps with PhotoniCare on ear imaging for the pediatric segment but from a consumer/telehealth angle rather than clinician OCT.
- Interacoustics (Demant): Interacoustics, part of the Demant Group, manufactures clinical audiology and middle-ear analyzers (tympanometry, acoustic reflex) used in ENT and pediatric audiology workflows. It overlaps with PhotoniCare on objective middle-ear diagnostics and the same ENT/pediatric specialist buyer.
- Cue Health: Cue Health developed a connected, FDA-cleared diagnostic hardware platform for point-of-care testing with an emphasis on clinician workflows. Like PhotoniCare, Cue pairs a regulated medical device with a digital/data platform, representing a comparable go-to-market and capital-efficiency archetype.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
PhotoniCare social profiles
Digital presencePhotoniCare compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
PhotoniCare financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
PhotoniCare leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles16 records
PhotoniCare funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds15 records
Investors18 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
PhotoniCare M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about PhotoniCare
What does PhotoniCare do?
PhotoniCare develops and sells the OtoSight Middle Ear Scope, an FDA-cleared handheld medical device that uses Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) to non-invasively image the middle ear. The device detects the presence or absence of fluid, characterizes fluid type, and visualizes fluid density, even in the presence of significant earwax, achieving 90.6% accuracy versus 50% with standard otoscopy.
Is PhotoniCare a public or private company?
PhotoniCare is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was PhotoniCare founded?
PhotoniCare was founded in 2013. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is PhotoniCare based?
PhotoniCare is headquartered in Champaign, United States, in the North America region.
How does PhotoniCare make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. OtoSight Middle Ear Scope Device Sales are the primary driver. The others are reimbursement / Procedure Billing.
Who are PhotoniCare's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Welch Allyn (Baxter International), Hillrom (Baxter International), Heine Optotechnik and Natus Medical (Otometrics). Direct peers are TytoCare and Eko Health. Emerging players are Butterfly Network, Remmie Health, Interacoustics (Demant) and Cue Health.
Does PhotoniCare have an API?
No public API is recorded for PhotoniCare.
What industry is PhotoniCare in?
PhotoniCare's product category is Medical Diagnostic Imaging Devices. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAKAMAC, Otology & Neurotology (Ear/Hearing/Balance). Its NAICS code is 334510 and its SIC code is 3841.