ETC Baltimore Co-Invests $200,000 in JuneBrain to Advance AI Retinal Imaging

Emerging Technology Centers Baltimore, an initiative of the Baltimore Development Corporation, announced on Feb. 27, 2026 that it invested $200,000 in JuneBrain and added the medtech startup to ETC’s portfolio to accelerate FDA submission and market entry for its wearable retinal imaging system. ETC’s participation includes not just capital but commercialization support from the BDC - technical guidance, strategic introductions, and investor connections intended to speed deployment into community care settings.

Samantha Scott, PhD, JuneBrain’s founder and CEO, framed the partnership as a launch point. “ETC Baltimore is an exciting partner for JuneBrain’s next chapter. As we move toward FDA submission, this investment and portfolio partnership give us the capital, operational expertise, and community support to execute faster and scale with intention,” Scott said, signaling the company’s regulatory focus as it refines its Neuro-i SS-OCT platform.

JuneBrain, founded in 2017 and headquartered in Baltimore, has built and tested working Neuro-i SS-OCT prototypes and enrolled nearly 100 patients across three company-sponsored clinical studies, company materials state. The Neuro-i SS-OCT is described as a high-speed, wearable, AI-powered retinal imaging system designed to enable technician-free, high-resolution imaging outside traditional eye clinics - in neurology practices, primary care offices, community health centers, and mobile health settings. A TEDCO announcement notes the company currently offers two products for investigational use only: the Neuro-i SS-OCT and an AI analytics product named the JuneBrain Reading Center.

The startup’s financing and pipeline reflect a mix of grants, private capital, and public-sector support. Citybiz Co reports JuneBrain has secured $3 million in grants including Phase I and II NSF SBIR awards and raised $3.4 million in private investment. ETC’s $200,000 joins a $250,000 Pre-Seed Builder Fund investment from TEDCO dated Oct. 9, 2025. JuneBrain and promotional profiles cite prospective revenue opportunities - Citybiz Co lists a $6 million qualified sales pipeline of prospective customers while a Gust profile reports a $4.7 million sales pipeline from top neurology and eye care clinics.

The company’s local footprint and founder story underscore the Baltimore connection. Scott, a Stanford biomechanical engineering alum who came to Baltimore for a postdoctoral fellowship in 2014 and was diagnosed with a neuromuscular disorder in 2017, has placed JuneBrain in local incubators including The LaunchPort and been associated with UM BioPark tenant lists. The company reports seven full-time equivalents on its Gust profile, has made recent hires, and participated in the 2Gether-International accelerator, which has a partnership with Google for Startups.

Maggie McDonough, Executive Director of ETC Baltimore and Chief Innovation Officer of the BDC, said, “JuneBrain exemplifies the type of high-impact, Baltimore-rooted innovation that ETC was built to support. Its wearable, AI-powered OCT platform has the potential to change how retinal imaging is delivered while building a scalable health technology company. We’re proud to invest in JuneBrain and help move this technology into primary and neurological care settings so more patients can benefit from earlier detection and monitoring.”

With prototypes tested, nearly 100 clinical enrollments, issued patents, and a mix of grant and private funding, JuneBrain’s $200,000 co-investment from ETC aims to translate Baltimore science into tools for earlier detection and remote monitoring of retinal and neurological disease across city health systems and community clinics.