Is Medical Imaging a Strong Sector for Startups? Insights from 11 Leading Overseas Apps

Medical imaging is a crucial component of the diagnosis and treatment process, and any comprehensive internet healthcare solution must delve into this field. In fact, numerous overseas medical imaging applications have already demonstrated initial success. VCBeat categorizes apps in this sector into three main types: The first type focuses on communication and sharing, providing tools for the transmission of medical images while ensuring data security and privacy protection in compliance with HIPAA; the second type typically features a medical imaging database primarily used for medical education; and the third type is designed for image-based diagnosis, requiring approval from regulatory bodies such as the FDA. Here, VCBeat introduces several highly regarded medical imaging apps overseas.

VCBeat is about to launch a series of reports on domestic medical imaging startups. We have already interviewed several entrepreneurial companies and welcome more startup teams in this field to contact us. Please leave a message via our WeChat account (vcbeat) or send your materials to our email at vip@vcbeat.top.



Figure 1    Figure 1, launched in 2013 and known as “Instagram for doctors,” enables healthcare professionals—including physicians, nurses, physician assistants, and medical students—to upload images and create individual case portfolios, facilitating discussions with peers and patients worldwide and promoting academic exchange. Statistics show that 150,000 medical experts have established personal diagnostic profiles to share cases and expand their professional expertise.

ImageInbox Launched by NexGenic in August 2014, this platform empowers patients to manage and store their medical images and diagnostic reports, securely uploading them to healthcare professionals as needed. The process is as fast and convenient as sending an email, with seamless software integration that complies with HIPAA privacy regulations. On the provider side, physicians can send and receive imaging files, facilitating communication with both peers and patients. The app’s core technology was developed by industry leaders and has been utilized in research institutions and clinical trials for over a decade. To date, it has been adopted by more than 60 international facilities, including top-tier pediatric centers across North America, Europe, and Asia. A key highlight extends beyond its function as a Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS): it enables rapid image transmission, ensuring earlier access to visuals, which significantly aids timely medical diagnosis. Pricing is tiered based on monthly image transmission volume: free for fewer than 100 transmissions; $199 per month for 100–999 transmissions; and $499 per month for over 1,000 transmissions.

Mobile MIM Mobile MIM is a software application designed for viewing various types of medical images, including specialized modalities such as SPECT, PET, CT, MRI, X-ray, and ultrasound. In accordance with regulatory requirements, this application is not intended for use in mammography. It features a robust interface capable of real-time display of multimodal medical images, 3D depth maximum intensity projection (MIP) videos, adaptive windowing for image sizing, and measurement and annotation tools for PET images. As the first FDA-cleared medical imaging app, it was launched on Apple’s App Store in 2008 and received FDA 510(k) clearance in 2011. A significant factor in its FDA approval was its powerful imaging capabilities, which address variations in screen brightness across different mobile devices. This ensures that image brightness does not interfere with physicians’ comparisons of two images, and the application includes numerous guided dynamic instructions. While the app itself is free to download, fees apply for uploading images to the MIM cloud, downloading them for viewing on the mobile app, or using the web-based MIM viewer. Pricing options include both monthly subscriptions and pay-per-use models. Mobile MIM serves solely as a backup to workstation systems and is not intended to replace diagnostic imaging workstations.

Jack Imaging Medical Image Viewer In 2013, Nephosity announced that its iPad application, MobileCT Viewer, had received FDA clearance. At that time, the app had not yet been released on the iTunes App Store, as the company sought to enhance and refine its features by integrating it with Jack Imaging, which was then in beta testing. Jack Imaging has since been publicly released. Jack Imaging also enables remote diagnostic imaging, allowing users to view CT, MRI, X-ray, and other images without connecting to a workstation. As an iPad-exclusive medical image viewing software, Jack Imaging leverages Nephosity’s patented technology and supports interactive user operations, including touch-screen zooming, panning, and adjustment of brightness and contrast. It delivers high-definition images, ensuring all details are clearly visible. The application is HIPAA-compliant and provides tools for measuring distances within images and annotating them.

OsiriX HD In 2010, the OsiriX team established the company Pixmeo, which offers three products. OsiriX is a free and fully open-source DICOM viewer. OsiriX MD is an FDA-cleared Class II medical device, also certified under the European CE mark (European Directive 93/42/EEC). With over ten years of research and development in digital imaging, it fully supports the DICOM standard, enabling seamless integration into clinical workflows. It employs advanced processing and analysis techniques such as 2D and 3D rendering, integrates completely with PACS, and is priced at $699. OsiriX HD is an application designed for iPhone and iPad. As iOS software, it supports direct download and management of image series on iOS mobile devices, capable of displaying various medical images including ultrasound, CT scans, MRI, and PET. This app seamlessly interfaces with any DICOM-compliant software, including Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS), medical workstations, and other acquisition models. Featuring touch-screen controls for zooming, panning, rotating, viewing, and adjusting image contrast, it serves as an interactive visualization tool for displaying and analyzing medical images.

Radiopaedia Provides completely free medical educational radiology imaging resources, aggregating the largest collection of imaging cases and references available online. Key features include: access high-quality medical imaging materials anytime, anywhere; a single app compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices; high-resolution, visually clear images that enable professionals to make productive use of even brief moments for learning, while also being suitable for students preparing for examinations. The app has added thousands of case collections and provides access to an online version of the Radiology Encyclopedia. It is designed for healthcare professionals, particularly radiologists and students. Its primary functions are to facilitate advanced learning for experts and to serve as a quick reference guide for students preparing for exams. Each case includes complete images, charts, questions and answers, along with detailed discussions. Following Radiopaedia, a series has been launched, with each series priced at the equivalent of 30 RMB. Radiology 2.0 SeriesThis platform offers interactive teaching with a series of cases, allowing users to browse CT images in a manner that simulates a PACS workstation. Each case includes in-depth discussions, along with pathologist insights and related diagnostic results. It teaches users how to interpret CT scans, is suitable for all medical professionals, and is free of charge. All content can be accessed offline on mobile devices, facilitating learning during fragmented time slots.The platform features the following two series:Volume 1. One Night in the ED: This educational software enables users to study CT scan images in emergency pathology. It currently includes cases of acute thoracic, abdominal, and pelvic lesions. Key conclusions for each case are highlighted with colored markers such as arrows and circles. This volume contains over 7,000 high-quality images and hundreds of web files.Volume 2. Appendicitis in Pregnant Women (Pregnant Appendicitis): Volume 2 incorporates image zoom and pan functionalities, supporting both portrait and landscape viewing modes. It primarily presents MRI images of appendicitis, with cases derived from clinical pregnant patients. A total of 41 cases causing right lower quadrant abdominal pain were collected, including appendicitis, intestinal obstruction, ovarian torsion, and pyelonephritis.

ResolutionMD A diagnostic medical imaging software application compatible with nearly all image types. It was announced to have received FDA clearance in April 2014. The software supports the diagnosis of conditions using computed radiography, digital radiography, fluoroscopy, angiography, ultrasound, nuclear medicine, endoscopy, and ophthalmology. This app assists physicians in viewing 3D images and integrating them with other imaging modalities to obtain additional diagnostic information. A 2012 study by Calgary Scientific found that radiologists using ResolutionMD on mobile devices processed CT scans of stroke patients 24% faster than those using PACS workstations, saving one patient every 11 minutes on average. The platform enables physicians to securely view patient images and reports, facilitating real-time interaction and collaboration among practitioners regardless of whether they are using computers or mobile devices, or their location. The software is FDA-cleared, certified by Health Canada, and CE-marked for the European Union. It can be integrated into electronic medical record (EMR) systems or existing archival systems. Additional features include video or audio conferencing with peers for collaborative image review. The application also offers dynamic 2D display windows and fully interactive 3D navigation, along with professional anatomical localization guidance. A Chinese-localized version of this app is also available.

VisualDx This app is specifically designed for licensed physicians, featuring over 1,300 diagnostic images and more than 29,000 medical illustrations to assist in clinical diagnosis and decision-making. The image collection is comprehensive, covering both adult and pediatric populations. Functionally, it integrates professional knowledge with intelligent search capabilities using standardized terminology to provide concise and accurate explanations. It serves as an effective auxiliary diagnostic tool for a wide range of conditions, including dermatological diseases, infections, genetic and metabolic disorders, nutritional issues, occupational diseases, benign and malignant tumors, drug-induced lesions, and other injuries.How to use this app? Users can compare images with those of patients on-site, quickly search for diagnostic, pharmaceutical, and nursing guidance, reference content from the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10 and ICD-9), search for 840 types of drug-induced diseases, facilitate patient communication through visual aids, and conduct self-assessment tests.

JAMA Network Challenge By reviewing peer-collected cases from the JAMA series, you can hone your clinical judgment and management expertise. Through gamified self-assessment, you can measure the time spent diagnosing each case, receive a score, and compare your performance with peers to ultimately enhance your diagnostic proficiency. Key features include access to real-world cases, timing of responses for each question, score-based assessment of improvement, and peer comparison to gauge your competency level.

What is your outlook on the market prospects for medical imaging within the current internet healthcare startup landscape? Have you been involved with projects in this field? Or have you already invested in one or several startups specializing in medical imaging? If you are an investor, please click here:Survey on Market Attention in the Medical Imaging Sector for Internet Healthcare Startups, complete the questionnaire.