Our mission is to improve the quality of life for millions of patients with visual disorders.

Over 10 years of research and development at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, ranked #1 in the US for ophthalmology.

Our Company Story

Heru is a spinoff company from the University of Miami’s Bascom Palmer Eye Institute.

Bascom Palmer is ranked the number one eye hospital in the U.S., and where our AI diagnostics and vision augmentation platform is continuously developed.

Our technology is the culmination of over 10 years of clinical and scientific research and development. This effort is led by Heru’s Founder and CEO Mohamed Abou Shousha, MD, PhD, associate professor of clinical ophthalmology, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute.

After years of feeling limited by options to help improve his patients’ lives, Dr. Abou Shousha became inspired and he and his team of leading physicians, scientists, and engineers set out to develop Heru’s artificial intelligence (AI) powered wearable device.

Our mission is to improve the quality of life for the millions of patients living with visual defects and disorders.

Innovation

We are driven by innovation and our goal to provide physicians and patients with cutting-edge technology to help improve access to eye care.

The rapid introduction of telemedicine, and the rising prevalence of glaucoma worldwide, illustrates the need for a portable and user-friendly platform that offers a novel and more cost-effective means of testing.

Executive team

Heru’s Executive Team is comprised of esteemed physicians and executives with a wealth of experience in eye care, medical technology, and other industries.

Mohamed Abou Shousha
Chief Executive Officer

Read Mohamed Abou Shousha’s Bio →



Mark Richards
Chief Operating Officer

Read Mark Richards’s Bio →



Keith Brock
Vice President, Product Innovation

Read Keith Brock’s Bio →



Dj Padzensky
Vice President, Engineering

Read Dj Padzensky’s Bio →
Medical Advisory Board

Heru’s distinguished group of medical and scientific advisors hail from prestigious medical institutions, and are surgeons, academic leaders, researchers and authors.

Eduardo C. Alfonso, M.D​

• 
  Chairman, Heru’s Medical Advisory Board
• 
  Chairman, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
• 
  Director, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute
• 
  Medical Director of Bascom Palmer’s Ocular Microbiology Laboratory
• 
  Holder of the Kathleen and Stanley J. Glaser Chair in Ophthalmology

Donald Budenz, MD, MPH

• 
  Kittner Family Distinguished Professor
• 
  Chair, Department of Ophthalmology, UNC School of Medicine
• 
  President, American Glaucoma Society
• 
  Editor of the Glaucoma issue of Current Opinion in Ophthalmology

Pradeep Ramulu, MD, MHS, PhD

• 
  Chief, Glaucoma Division, Professor Ophthalmology, Johns Hopkins University
• 
  Executive Editor, American Journal of Ophthalmology
• 
  Board of Directors, Program Committee Chair, American Glaucoma Society

William H. Seiple, PhD

• 
  Chief Research Officer, Lighthouse Guild
• 
  Research Professor of Ophthalmology at NYU School of Medicine
• 
  Adjunct Faculty, Aging in Vision and Action Team, Institut de la Vision
• 
  Visiting Professor at the University Pierre at Marie Curie, Paris, France

Priti Patel, OD

• 
  President & CEO of FirstSight Vision Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of National Vision.
• 
  16 years of optometric retail management experience
• 
  Expertise in Multi-unit OD/MD practice management, compliance, and professional affairs
• 
  Vision Monday’s Most Influential Women in Optometry
• 
  Member of Chief, South Asian Leaders, and Women in Optometry Advisory Panel.

Pradeep Ramulu, MD, MHS, PhD

• 
  Chief, Glaucoma Division, Professor Ophthalmology, Johns Hopkins University
• 
  Executive Editor, American Journal of Ophthalmology
• 
  Board of Directors, Program Committee Chair, American Glaucoma Society

Board of Directors

Heru’s Board of Directors is comprised of esteemed physicians and executives with a wealth of experience in eye care, medical technology, and other industries.

Mohamed Abou Shousha, MD, PhD

Founder, President, and CEO

Mohamed Abou Shousha, MD, PhD is Heru’s President and Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Abou Shousha is a practicing ophthalmologist at the University of Miami’s Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, where he serves as Associate Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Biomedical Engineering.

He and his team of clinicians and engineers spent over ten years conducting clinical and scientific research of ophthalmic imaging and artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms that led to Heru AI powered wearable device. His work has been published in leading peer reviewed ophthalmology journals. In addition to other prestigious awards, Dr. Abou Shousha was awarded multi-million dollars R01 and K23 awards from the National Eye Institute, the Stanley J. Glaser Award, the American Academy of Ophthalmology Achievement Award, Achievement Award of the Association of University Professor of Ophthalmology (AUPO) and the 6 Best Paper of Session award of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS).

Richard K. Parrish II, MD

Board Member

Richard K. Parrish II, MD is a world-renown glaucoma specialist and is the Edward W.D. Norton Chair in Ophthalmology and Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education to the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.  He also serves as Chairman of the Graduate Medical Education Committee and is the designated institutional representative for the Jackson Health System/Jackson Memorial Hospital.

John Frantzis

Board Member

John has more than 25 years of executive management experience in emerging technologies. Recently having a 400M exit at Avedro, acquired by Glaukos. While running the commercial organization, leading the worldwide launch of ophthalmic crosslinking products. He was VP of BD and Global Sales for NDO surgical. Mr. Frantzis led the company’s worldwide commercial organization. As EVP of BD for Summit Technology, he established and managed its commercial teams, growing revenue from $1 to $160M during his tenure, with an exit of $1 billion.

Marc Maltz

Board Member

Marc is a co-founder of Hoola Hoop LLC, co-founded TRIAD Consulting Group LLC, and held executive positions at AT&T, Westinghouse Electric Company, NYNEX Corporation and Music Mining Co., Inc. Marc has an M.B.A. and holds postgraduate certificates from MIT, the Wharton School and the William Alanson White Institute for Psychiatry, Psychoanalysis and Psychology (WAWI).

Ron Williams

Board Observer

Ron Williams is the current Chairman and CEO of RW2 Enterprises, and former Chairman and CEO of Aetna Inc. During his tenure, Aetna was named FORTUNE’s most admired company in the Health Care Insurance and Managed Care category for three consecutive years. He served as both Chairman and CEO of Aetna from 2006 to 2010, and as Chairman from November 2010 to April 2011. Ron also served on President Obama’s Management Advisory Board and currently serves as the Chairman and CEO of RW2 Enterprises and on the board of Boeing and American Express.

Key Investors

Heru’s investors are a distinguished group of physicians and professionals in medical technology, real estate development, publishing and other key industries.

D1 capital

D1 Capital Partners is a global investment firm that operates across public and private markets. The firm
combines the talent and operational excellence of a large, premier asset management firm with the
flexible mandate and long-term time horizon of a family office. Founded in 2018 by Daniel Sundheim, D1 focuses on investing in the global internet, technology, telecom, media, consumer, healthcare, financial, industrial, and real estate sectors.

Softbank

SoftBank’s SB Opportunity Fund is a $100 million venture fund. SoftBank Group Corp. is a Japanese multinational conglomerate holding company headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. The Group primarily invests in companies operating in the technology, energy, and financial sectors.

Fred Drasner

Chairman of Three Seasons Capital, LLC

Fred Drasner is presently Chairman of Three Seasons Capital, LLC, a venture capital firm. Mr. Drasner, with a partner, acquired U. S. News &World Report and served as its CEO and Co-Chairman from 1985 to 2004. In 1993, they acquired the New York Daily News and he remained co-owner, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Publisher until 2004. Mr. Drasner founded Fast Company Magazine in 1995 and served as CEO until its sale 1999. In 1985, he started Applied Graphics Technologies, took it public in 1996 (NASDAQ), and served as its Chairman and CEO from 1985 until its sale in 2003. During that period, it grew into the world’s largest Digital Image Management Company

He was an initial investor in Snyder Communications (NYSE) and a board member until its sale to Havas for $2.3 billion in 1999. He was co-owner and Vice Chairman of The Washington Redskins football team from 1999 to 2004. Mr. Drasner was the founder of the Vehicle Production Group in 2007 and served as its chairman until its sale in 2013.

Robert Wennett

President, UIA Management

Robert Wennett is President of UIA Management, LLC (UIA) and has over 25 years of experience in acquisitions and structuring and negotiating real estate transactions aggregating three billion dollars in value. In his role as President, Mr. Wennett is responsible for UIA’s ambitious national development plan, as well as the creation and implementation of its investment and acquisition strategies.

Chris Dewey

Partner, Ceros Financial Services

Chris Dewey currently serves as a Managing Director of Ceros Financial Services, Inc. He was a Founder and President of The Cannon Group Inc, a/k/a Cannon Films, the first independent film company to finance, produce and distribute motion pictures worldwide. Cannon became a public company in 1972 and was thereafter sold.

Frederic H. Moll, MD

Chief Development Officer, Johnson and Johnson Medical Devices Companies

Frederic H. Moll, MD is a medical device developer and entrepreneur and has been called the father of robotic surgery. Dr. Moll is currently Chief Development Officer of Johnson & Johnson Medical Device Companies and serves on the board of directors of 11 other companies. Prior to this, he was CEO of Auris Health, Inc.

Alberto Beeck

Managing Partner, VH Properties and Director, Virgin Hotels

Alberto Beeck is an investor who combines his time between different businesses and social impact activities in the education sector. He is Managing Partner of Cranley Investments Holdings, Managing Partner of VH Properties, and Chairman of Lumni (a company that invests in human capital).

Krillion Ventures

Krillion Ventures is a Miami-based venture capital fund that actively invests in early stage technology companies solving problems in healthcare, financial services, and real estate.