Light AI
Light AI is a Vancouver-based medical imaging software company using proprietary AI to analyze smartphone images and detect Strep A, COVID-19, and conjunctivitis without swabs or proprietary hardware, targeting healthcare providers and consumers via QuickScan and a planned Wellness App.
- Company typePublic
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersVancouver, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Light AI does
Light AI Inc. (Cboe Canada: ALGO; OTCQB: OHCFF; FSE: 0HC) is a Vancouver-based, publicly traded medical imaging software company developing AI-driven diagnostic tools that analyze standard smartphone camera images to detect infectious diseases without swabs, lab reagents, or proprietary hardware. Its flagship product, QuickScan Strep A, is a cloud-based computer vision application that classifies oropharyngeal images as bacterial (Group A Streptococcus) or viral, with pre-FDA validation studies reporting 96.57% accuracy and 100% Negative Predictive Value; the underlying algorithms are protected by 7 granted patents across the US, Europe, Australia, and Israel. The company's product portfolio centers on the QuickScan Strep A Software as a Medical Device, a direct-to-consumer Wellness App (planned Q3 2025 launch for Strep A, COVID-19, and conjunctivitis), and the Light AI Digital Clinical Lab cloud platform with a stated roadmap toward eye and skin conditions.
The business is in clinical and regulatory development rather than commercial operation. QuickScan Strep A is in an FDA pivotal trial initiated June 2026 with Health Canada registration submitted and an ISO 13485/QMS audit in progress; Light AI explicitly states that its products are not cleared or approved and not available for commercial or clinical use. Planned monetization includes subscription pricing for the consumer Wellness App, licensing of the diagnostic platform to healthcare providers and clinical institutions, and international rollout tied to FDA, Health Canada, and European regulatory authorizations. Pilot deployments exist with the National Hauora Coalition in New Zealand and an unnamed global urgent-care provider, and a partnership with MrBeast/Beast Philanthropy is aimed at deploying AI-powered Strep A testing in Africa for rheumatic heart disease prevention.
Operationally, Light AI had 11–50 employees, was founded by Peter Whitehead (inventor of the VELscope oral cancer imaging device, now Chief Innovation Officer), and is led by CEO John R. Luna (appointed January 2026) to drive regulatory and commercialization execution. Capital structure reflects an early-stage profile: a C$18.5M Canadian IPO in January 2025, a C$5M convertible debenture in May 2025, a US$5M MV Capital private placement in June 2026, and an additional C$5M debenture that month, supporting stated cash runway beyond Q3 2026 against widening operating losses.
Light AI firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Light AI
- Legal name
- Light AI Inc.
- Website
- https://light.ai
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Light AI is a Vancouver-based medical imaging software company using proprietary AI to analyze smartphone images and detect Strep A, COVID-19, and conjunctivitis without swabs or proprietary hardware, targeting healthcare providers and consumers via QuickScan and a planned Wellness App.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Light AI industry classification
Industry- Product category
- AI Medical Diagnostics Software
- NAICS
- Electromedical and Electrotherapeutic Apparatus Manufacturing (334510)
- SIC
- Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Medical Imaging AI (HDAAAEAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- SaMD – Monitoring, Triage & Risk Stratification Software (HLACANAE)
Keywords
Where Light AI is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Vancouver
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Light AI business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Wellness App Sales: Direct-to-consumer sales of AI-powered health diagnostic wellness application for detecting Strep A, COVID-19, and conjunctivitis. Expected to launch commercially in North America in Q3 2025 with subsequent global expansion.
- Healthcare Provider Licensing: Licensing agreements with healthcare providers and clinical institutions for use of the diagnostic platform. Pilot studies with global healthcare providers planned to validate clinical performance.
- International Regulatory Authorization: Revenue generation following regulatory approvals (FDA, Health Canada, European certifications) enabling commercialization in respective jurisdictions. Consumer-facing Wellness App anticipated in North America by Q3 2025; European launch planned.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Consumer Wellness App (direct-to-consumer) |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Light AI product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Light AI develops AI-powered diagnostic software that applies machine learning algorithms to smartphone camera images to identify bacterial and viral infections in seconds. The company offers two distinct products: QuickScan Strep A, a clinical diagnostic software for healthcare providers to differentiate Group A Streptococcus infections at point-of-care, and a consumer-facing Wellness App for at-home screening of Strep A, COVID-19, and conjunctivitis. The cloud-based platform requires no swabs, lab tests, or proprietary hardware, leveraging the 4.5 billion existing smartphones globally.
Product overview
Light AI offers an AI-powered diagnostic platform consisting of QuickScan Strep A (clinical diagnostic software) and a consumer-facing Wellness App. Both products use the same core cloud-based AI technology that applies proprietary computer vision algorithms to smartphone camera images to identify medical conditions. The platform requires no hardware beyond a standard smartphone and targets point-of-care diagnostics for infectious diseases starting with Strep A pharyngitis, with expansion to COVID-19 and conjunctivitis.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- QuickScan™ Strep A: AI-powered diagnostic software that analyzes smartphone images to detect Group A Streptococcus (Strep A) infections.
- Light AI Wellness Platform
Products and services
- QuickScan Strep A AI-powered diagnostic software that analyzes smartphone images of the oropharynx to identify Group A Streptococcus (Strep A) infections at point-of-care. Designed for healthcare providers to differentiate between viral and bacterial pharyngitis, achieving 96.57% accuracy and 100% NPV in pre-FDA validation studies.
- Light AI Wellness App Direct-to-consumer mobile application for at-home health screening of Strep A, COVID-19, and conjunctivitis using AI algorithms applied to smartphone camera images. Targets families and individuals for home health management without requiring swabs, lab tests, or proprietary hardware.
- Light AI Digital Clinical Lab Platform Cloud-based AI platform vision combining smartphone cameras with cloud AI to provide quick and accessible diagnosis for multiple conditions. Currently focused on throat conditions, with expansion planned for eye (conjunctivitis) and skin analysis. Requires no swabs, lab tests, or proprietary hardware.
Quantifiable outcome
- 97% accuracy in differentiating viral vs bacterial pharyngitis (96.57% in some studies)
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Light AI
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Light AI technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability2 records
Feature4 records
Light AI partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- NHC NZ (National Hauora Coalition)corePilot study partnership with National Hauora Coalition New Zealand for QuickScan Strep A testing in New Zealand healthcare settings to validate clinical performance.
- ELIQUENT Life SciencescorePartnership with ELIQUENT Life Sciences to support bringing Light AI's cutting-edge AI medical technologies to the U.S. market. ELIQUENT provides regulatory consulting and submission support for FDA authorization process.
- MrBeast / Beast PhilanthropyflagshipHigh-profile partnership to provide AI-powered Strep A testing in Africa. Beast Philanthropy (MrBeast's philanthropic organization) collaborating to deploy Light AI's diagnostic technology in underserved regions for rheumatic heart disease prevention.
- Commodity Partners Inc.minorEngagement of investor relations services from Commodity Partners Inc. to provide capital markets and investor relations advisory services under agreement dated February 14, 2025 for CDN$120,000 annual fee.
- Emergo by ULcoreEngagement with Emergo by UL for global regulatory submissions support. Provides regulatory consulting services for international market authorization beyond U.S. FDA process.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Light AI competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Healthy.io: Healthy.io uses smartphone cameras combined with AI/computer vision to enable at-home urinalysis and chronic kidney disease screening—closely paralleling Light AI's smartphone-camera AI diagnostic model and regulatory pathway.
- TytoCare: TytoCare delivers AI-assisted remote physical examination and diagnostics via consumer devices for telehealth providers—comparable in delivering AI-enhanced clinical assessments through consumer-grade hardware at the point of care.
- Visby Medical: Visby Medical develops rapid PCR-based diagnostic tests for infectious diseases including sexual health and respiratory infections—directly competing in the point-of-care infectious disease diagnostic market that Light AI is targeting with QuickScan Strep A.
- Cue Health: Cue Health produces a connected rapid molecular diagnostic platform for at-home and clinical use, including respiratory infections (COVID-19, influenza)—a direct competitor in consumer/clinical rapid infectious disease diagnostics.
- ResApp Health: ResApp Health developed AI algorithms to diagnose respiratory conditions (pneumonia, bronchiolitis, COPD) from cough and lung sound recordings—a highly comparable AI-audio/visual diagnostic platform for infectious disease (acquired by Pfizer in 2022).
- Eko Health: Eko Health combines AI with digital stethoscopes and sensors to detect cardiac and pulmonary conditions—closely parallel to Light AI's model of applying AI to standard hardware for clinical-grade diagnosis.
- Binx Health: Binx Health provides rapid molecular diagnostics for infectious diseases at point-of-care, including CT/NG testing—directly comparable to Light AI's goal of decentralizing infectious disease testing away from centralized labs.
Broad incumbents
- Babylon Health: Babylon Health offers a broader AI-driven symptom assessment and triage platform that competes at the diagnostic decision-support layer Light AI targets—though Babylon is a wider digital health incumbent rather than a focused infectious-disease specialist.
Emerging players
- K Health: K Health combines AI symptom checking with telehealth consultations to deliver remote diagnoses—a comparable AI-driven consumer health diagnostic experience, though focused on primary care rather than specific infectious disease imaging.
- DreaMed Diabetes (now part of Medtronic): DreaMed developed AI clinical decision support for diabetes management—an adjacent regulated SaMD player demonstrating the AI clinical decision support pathway Light AI is pursuing, though in a different therapeutic area.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Light AI social profiles
Digital presenceLight AI financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Light AI leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
Light AI funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds7 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Light AI M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A2 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Light AI
What does Light AI do?
Light AI develops AI-powered diagnostic software that applies machine learning algorithms to smartphone camera images to identify bacterial and viral infections in seconds. The company offers two distinct products: QuickScan Strep A, a clinical diagnostic software for healthcare providers to differentiate Group A Streptococcus infections at point-of-care, and a consumer-facing Wellness App for at-home screening of Strep A, COVID-19, and conjunctivitis. The cloud-based platform requires no swabs, lab tests, or proprietary hardware, leveraging the 4.5 billion existing smartphones globally.
Is Light AI a public or private company?
Light AI is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was Light AI founded?
Light AI was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Light AI based?
Light AI is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Light AI make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Wellness App Sales are the primary driver. The others are healthcare Provider Licensing and international Regulatory Authorization.
Who are Light AI's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Healthy.io, TytoCare, Visby Medical, Cue Health, ResApp Health, Eko Health and Binx Health. Babylon Health is listed as a broad incumbent. Emerging players are K Health and DreaMed Diabetes (now part of Medtronic).
Does Light AI have an API?
No public API is recorded for Light AI.
What industry is Light AI in?
Light AI's product category is AI Medical Diagnostics Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAAAEAH, Medical Imaging AI, with a secondary code of HLACANAE, SaMD – Monitoring, Triage & Risk Stratification Software. Its NAICS code is 334510 and its SIC code is 3841.