Vara, the AI-enabled breast cancer detection platform, has raised $8.9 million (€8M) in funding from Smart Family Office (Austria), FJH (Germany), and IBB Ventures. The investment comes as the company expands its successful European operations into emerging markets, with a particular focus on India.
The Berlin-based company has established a significant presence in Germany’s National Breast Cancer Screening Program, where its AI platform now manages nearly 40% of breast cancer screenings. The platform processes over 100,000 images monthly and has demonstrated remarkable results, including detecting 50% of cancers that radiologists might have missed, while also reducing false positives and improving workflow efficiency.
“This raise, which is particularly significant in today’s economic climate, not only validates our technology but enables us to accelerate Vara’s expansion for global impact. We’re extremely pleased with the outcomes we’re already seeing with our partners in healthcare, and we look forward to sharing more progress soon,” said Jonas Muff, CEO of Vara.
The company’s expansion into India began in 2023 through a partnership with NM Medical, a leading imaging services provider in Mumbai, Bangalore, and Pune. This collaboration aims to enhance preventive care and early breast cancer detection in the region, positioning mammography as a fundamental component of women’s health programs.
“By combining an AI-driven screening approach with proven medical evidence and commercialization in emerging markets, Vara is an excellent fit for the goals of our impact fund,” said Ute Mercker, Investment Director at IBB Ventures. “Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women. We hope that by bringing this innovative screening to market in India, Vara will be able to increase survival rates and improve the quality of life of women.”
The company recently published a study in The Lancet Digital Health analyzing nearly two million datasets from the UK, Sweden, and Germany. The research demonstrated significant improvements in key screening parameters, including enhanced cancer detection rates, reduced recall rates, and decreased radiologist workload.
