Cent, an AI-driven preventive health startup, has secured $15 million in funding led by Blume Ventures and South Park Commons. The company will use the capital to expand its research and diagnostic capabilities, alongside the acquisition of Medsee. This move highlights the growing focus on AI-based early disease detection in the Indian healthcare sector.
Preventive health startup Cent has successfully raised $15 million in a Series A funding round. The investment was led by venture capital firms Blume Ventures and South Park Commons. The round also saw participation from notable individual investors, including former Vodafone CEO Arun Sarin and former OpenAI CTO Srinivas Narayanan. This funding is intended to support the company’s efforts to scale its research and development for early-stage disease detection.
Founded in 2025 by industry executives including former Practo founder Shashank ND, former Ola Electric CMO Anshul Khandelwal, and former Lenskart product head Arpit Garg, the firm aims to move the Indian healthcare market from reactive, symptom-based care to proactive, data-driven health intelligence. The company utilizes a hybrid approach, combining hardware with AI-driven radiology and bioinformatics—the use of software to analyze biological data—to identify conditions like cardiovascular issues, metabolic disorders, and cancers before clear physical symptoms appear.
Alongside the funding, Cent announced the acquisition of Medsee, an AI-powered radiology reporting platform. This acquisition is designed to streamline the diagnostic workflow for radiologists. By integrating Medsee’s tools, which help in drafting structured reports and highlighting diagnostic findings, the company aims to maintain clinical precision even when processing high volumes of patient scans.
For investors and sector observers, the focus will be on how effectively the company can scale its proprietary detection models using the data gathered from its initial operations. The company plans to prioritize clinical and engineering hires to refine these models, which are intended to set a standard for preventive protocols in India and potentially in global markets.
While the adoption of AI in healthcare offers significant potential for efficiency and early diagnosis, the sector faces specific business challenges. Success will depend on navigating complex regulatory requirements regarding patient data privacy and obtaining clinical validation for AI-based tools. Furthermore, like many diagnostic startups, Cent will need to work on building trust with hospitals and clinical partners to ensure wide adoption of its technology. Investors may monitor the company’s progress in balancing its rapid R&D spending with the need for sustainable clinical results as it looks to build a comprehensive preventive health infrastructure.