Intravascular Imaging Incorporated

What Intravascular Imaging Incorporated does

Intravascular Imaging Incorporated (i3) is a privately held, pre-commercial medical device company developing a single core product: a hybrid NIRF-IVUS imaging catheter that combines Near-Infrared Fluorescence (NIRF) molecular contrast imaging with Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS) structural imaging in a single monorail catheter compatible with standard coronary guidewires. The device is intended to provide interventional cardiologists and hospital catheterization laboratories with real-time, point-of-care detection of PCI complications, including Geographic Miss (GM) and Stent Edge Dissections (SED), that current IVUS/OCT imaging standards often miss, addressing a reported 30% stent failure rate in percutaneous coronary interventions.

The company was founded in 2018 through collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School and the Technical University of Munich, and is led by co-founders Dr. Farouc A. Jaffer (MGH/Harvard) and Dr. Vasilis Ntziachristos (TUM), with Dr. Philipp Rauschendorfer as Chief Scientific Officer and R. Scott Jones as Chairman & CEO. Its technology has been validated through peer-reviewed publications in npj Cardiovascular Health (2024) and IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering (2025).

Commercially, i3 is in the investigational stage: the product is not yet cleared or approved by the U.S. FDA or other regulators, no commercial distribution channels have been established, no pricing has been disclosed, and the company operates with 1-10 employees across Connecticut and Round Rock, Texas. Its go-to-market strategy is sales-led, targeting interventional cardiologists and cath labs performing PCIs and positioning the device as an upgrade to the existing worldwide IVUS installed base; the business model is hardware sales once regulatory clearance is secured, and current revenue is essentially nil pending FDA pathway completion.

Name

Intravascular Imaging Incorporated

Legal name

Intravascular Imaging Inc. (i3)

Website

https://i3-nirf.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Wilton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Others, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Medical Device Sales: Pre-commercial stage. The company is developing a hybrid NIRF-IVUS imaging catheter for PCI guidance. The product is currently investigational and not yet cleared/approved by FDA or other regulators.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

i3 is developing a single hybrid NIRF-IVUS imaging catheter that combines Near-Infrared Fluorescence (NIRF) molecular contrast imaging with Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS) structural imaging in a single intravascular device. The investigational catheter is designed for use during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) to provide real-time, point-of-care detection of complications such as Geographic Miss and Stent Edge Dissections, functioning as a "red flag" signal to flag stent placement problems during the procedure. The product is not yet FDA cleared and is positioned as an upgrade to the existing worldwide IVUS installed base.

Product overview

i3 offers a single core product: the Hybrid NIRF-IVUS Imaging Catheter. This novel medical device combines Near-Infrared Fluorescence (NIRF) molecular imaging with Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS) anatomical imaging in a single intravascular catheter. The catheter provides hybrid biological and structural visualization, enabling real-time detection of PCI complications (such as Geographic Miss and Stent Edge Dissections) that current imaging standards miss. It is designed as an upgrade to the existing worldwide IVUS installed base, offering a 'RED FLAG' signal capability for PCI complications while maintaining compatibility with standard coronary guidewires and clinical PCI workflows.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hybrid NIRF-IVUS Imaging Catheter A novel intravascular imaging catheter that combines Near-Infrared Fluorescence (NIRF) molecular contrast imaging with Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS) structural imaging for hybrid biological and anatomical visualization during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The catheter features a monorail design compatible with standard coronary guidewires for efficient delivery and seamless integration into existing cathlab workflows. It is intended for interventional cardiologists and hospital cath labs to detect PCI complications (Geographic Miss, Stent Edge Dissections) and stent inflammation in real time.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30% stent failure rate due to improper stent placement - i3 aims to reduce this through improved complication detection

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Massachusetts General Hospital / Harvard Medical SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founded and collaborated with MGH/Harvard Medical School to commercialize novel cardiovascular imaging technologies. Dr. Farouc A. Jaffer, Professor of Medicine and Director of Coronary Intervention at MGH/Harvard, serves as Co-Founder. The partnership provides access to world-class research capabilities in biological imaging.
• Technical University of Munich (TUM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic collaboration with TUM's Chair for Biological Imaging (CBI) led by Dr. Vasilis Ntziachristos. Dr. Philipp Rauschendorfer serves as Chief Scientific Officer with background at TUM and MGH. The partnership provides research expertise in biological imaging modalities and early detection of coronary artery disease.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Conavi Medical: Developer of the Novasight Hybrid IVUS-OCT imaging system, which similarly combines two intravascular imaging modalities in a single catheter for PCI guidance. It is the most direct competing hybrid intravascular imaging technology to i3's NIRF-IVUS.
• ACIST Medical Systems: Developer of the HDi IVUS system and a range of cathlab imaging and contrast injection technologies used during PCI. ACIST competes directly with i3 in the cathlab imaging market and shares the same interventional cardiology customer base.

Broad incumbents

• Boston Scientific: Major incumbent in intravascular imaging with the iLab Ultrasound Imaging System and OptiCross IVUS catheters widely used in cathlabs globally. i3 is positioning its catheter as an upgrade to this installed base, making Boston Scientific the principal incumbent to displace or partner with.
• Philips (Volcano): Through its Volcano business, Philips offers a leading IVUS catheter portfolio (Eagle Eye, Revolution) and the IntraSight console used in cathlabs worldwide. As a broad cardiovascular imaging incumbent, Philips represents both a major competitor and potential strategic partner/acquirer for i3.
• Abbott: Abbott offers the OPTIS Imaging System with ILUMIEN OCT and OFDI catheters, a leading alternative to IVUS in PCI guidance. As a dominant player in intravascular imaging and coronary intervention, Abbott is both a peer and a potential acquirer of novel imaging IP.
• Medtronic: A broad cardiovascular incumbent with a large coronary stent portfolio and significant presence in cathlab capital equipment. While not a direct IVUS imaging competitor today, Medtronic's scale and PCI relationships make it a relevant incumbent and potential strategic partner for novel imaging technology.
• GE HealthCare: Large incumbent in cardiovascular imaging with ultrasound, cathlab, and image-guided therapy capabilities. i3's CEO R. Scott Jones previously led the GE Cardiovascular Business, and GE HealthCare remains a relevant incumbent and potential commercial partner for novel intravascular imaging.

Emerging players

• CathWorks: Emerging player in the cathlab with the FFRangio system, which uses computational rather than invasive imaging to assess coronary physiology during PCI. It addresses the same interventional cardiology decision-making workflow that i3 targets, but with a different technology approach.
• Opsens: Developer of the OptoWire and related FFR/diagnostic guidewire products used during PCI for physiological lesion assessment. Opsens is an emerging cathlab-focused player whose products are routinely used in the same PCI procedures that i3's imaging catheter is designed to support.

Regional players

• Terumo: A Japanese-headquartered global medical device company with significant cathlab and interventional cardiology product lines (guidewires, catheters, angiography systems). Terumo is comparable as a global PCI-product incumbent with overlapping customer relationships, though less focused on intravascular imaging than Boston Scientific or Philips.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/intravascular-imaging-incorporated-i3-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

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