Podcast/Video Interviews by Stephen Ibaraki

A Chat with Ehsan Vaghefi: Founder, President & CEO of Toku Inc., a health technology company leveraging AI and retinal imaging

This week, Stephen Ibaraki has an exclusive interview with Ehsan Vaghefi, PhD.

Ehsan Vaghefi is the founder and CEO of Toku, a health technology company leveraging AI and retinal imaging to transform every eye exam to comprehensive health check His work is deeply personal, driven by the experience of his father losing his vision at the age of 4 to a preventable disease. This inspired Ehsan to focus on using eye exams not only for diagnosing vision-related issues but also for predicting broader health risks such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and strokes.

Born in Iran, started his academic life in New Zealand, and now based in San Diego CA, Ehsan has published over 45 peer-reviewed publications in AI & Ophthalmic Imaging and has secured more than $11 million in research grants. In 2019, he founded Toku (initially named Toku Eyes) to make healthcare more accessible by integrating AI into routine eye exams. Backed by two of the largest eyecare providers in the United States as Series A strategic investors, Toku's technology enables early detection of chronic conditions such as cardiovascular risk and chronic kidney disease by analyzing retinal images.Under Ehsan's leadership, Toku has gained significant recognition, including 2 FDA Breakthrough Device Designations, and expanded its operations in the US and internationally.

Based in San Diego, Toku is a healthcare technology company specializing in using AI-driven retinal imaging to detect health risks such as cardiovascular conditions, diabetes, kidney failure and strokes. Founded in 2019 by Dr Ehsan Vaghefi in New Zealand, Toku leverages the eye's unique ability to provide insights into overall health. Their flagship AI platforms, CLAiR and BioAge, analyze retinal images to identify early signs of chronic diseases, offering a non-invasive, accessible way to predict health risks. These platforms help in early detection, potentially preventing serious outcomes like blindness or heart attacks. Toku's technology is already in use in multiple countries, including New Zealand, the U.S., and India, with the goal of democratizing healthcare access. The FDA approved BioAge is now commercially available in more than 100 eye clinics across California and Texas, while CLAiR is going through its FDA processes now and will be available later in 2025. The company's technology has received FDA Breakthrough Device Designation for its MyKidneyAI product, which will become available in 2026. Beyond US, Toku is expanding its operations in the UK and Middle East.