Ehsan Vaghefi

Ehsan Vaghefi


LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ehsan-vaghefi-2495b08b/
Accredited investor
Member since June 02, 2022
  • About
Investor interests
Credentials Accredited Investor
Companies I've founded or co-founded:
Toku Eyes
Companies I work or worked for:
The University of Auckland
Achievements (products built, personal awards won):

Ehsan is now an associate professor of Medical Imaging and Artificial Intelligence in Optometry and Ophthalmology at the University of Auckland. As an academic, Ehsan has published more than 45 peer-reviewed journal articles and 3 patents, and been awarded more than $10M in research grants.
In 2018, Ehsan and his co-founder (Dr David Squirrell) started Toku Eyes, a social enterprise focused on his life’s goal: helping prevent blindness on a large scale.

If you're an entrepreneur or corporate innovator, why?

I want to change the world.

My favorite startups:

Teladoc, Livongo

Why did you start your company or why do you want to innovate inside your company?

My academic and entrepreneurial career has been focused on preventing blindness through accessible and novel technologies. This is because my father lost his eyesight as a child, due to a preventable but undiagnosed disease. I have been a guide all my life. After all, when other children my age were being helped across the street by their parents, I was helping my blind father across roads.

What's most frustrating and rewarding about entrepreneurship/innovation?

Nothing!

What's the No. 1 mistake entrepreneurs/innovators make?

Inconsistency, thinking that this is going to be easy, Thinking that passion can take you all the way

What are the top three lessons you've learned as an entrepreneur?

Be consistent, Be Humble, Keep pushing

Full bio
Ehsan's academic and entrepreneurial career has been focused on preventing blindness through accessible and novel technologies. This is because Ehsan's father lost his eyesight as a child, due to a preventable but undiagnosed disease. Ehsan has been a guide all his life. After all, when other children his age were being helped across the street by their parents, he was helping his blind father across roads. 

Ehsan is now an associate professor of Medical Imaging and Artificial Intelligence in Optometry and Ophthalmology at the University of Auckland. As an academic, Ehsan has published more than 45 peer-reviewed journal articles and 3 patents, and been awarded more than $10M in research grants. In 2018, Ehsan and his co-founder (Dr David Squirrell) started Toku Eyes, a social enterprise focused on his life’s goal: helping prevent blindness on a large scale. Today, Toku Eyes' AI platform is being used in many clinics across the US, India, Australia and New Zealand, identifying people at the risk of blindness from downtown LA to rural India.