Skip to main content

Flywheel

Category: AI in Healthcare

A cloud-native medical imaging data management and AI enablement platform that automates the curation, de-identification, and analysis of complex imaging data to accelerate clinical research and AI development. Flywheel was founded in 2015. The company is led by Hooman Hakami. Based in Minneapolis, USA. Team size: 100-250. Total funding raised: $152.8M total. Latest round: Growth Round ($27.5M, Jan 2026). Key investors include ["Novalis LifeSciences","NVentures (NVIDIA)","8VC","Microsoft","Invenshure","Beringea","Hewlett Packard Enterprise","Novartis","Intuitive Surgical"].

Founded
2015
Headquarters
Minneapolis, USA
Team size
100-250
Total funding
$152.8M total

Value proposition

Accelerates the 'data-to-insight' pipeline by automating manual data preparation, ensuring 21 CFR Part 11 regulatory compliance, and providing a collaborative environment for multi-center global research.

Products and solutions

["Flywheel Enterprise (Core data management platform)","Flywheel Exchange (Data sharing and marketplace)","Flywheel Discovery (Cohort discovery and data mining)","Flywheel Clinical (Regulated environment for clinical trials)","Flywheel Training (AI model training and labeling)","Flywheel Gears (Library of 100+ automated processing plug-ins)","Flywheel Validated (21 CFR Part 11 compliant clinical trial workflows)","Flywheel Video (Video viewing and annotation tools)"]

Unique value

Provides a unique end-to-end workflow that bridges the gap between academic research (via its XNAT roots) and commercial-grade clinical trial requirements, offering a 'research-to-production' pipeline for medical imaging AI.

Target customer

Biopharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturers, academic medical centers (AMCs), life science researchers, and AI developers.

Industries served

["Healthcare","Pharmaceuticals","Biotechnology","Medical Devices","Academic Research"]

Technology advantage

Features automated metadata extraction, 'Compute-to-Data' capabilities (training models without moving sensitive data), and robust de-identification pipelines that preserve clinical utility while ensuring HIPAA/GDPR compliance.

How they differentiate

Flywheel differentiates by focusing on the R&D and clinical trial lifecycle rather than just clinical diagnostics. It offers a 'Compute-to-Data' architecture that allows AI training without moving sensitive images, alongside automated de-identification and curation pipelines rooted in the academic XNAT standard.

Main competitors

["Ambra Health (Intelerad)","Enlitic","Arterys (Tempus)","Blackford Analysis"]

Key partnerships

["NVIDIA (NVentures investment and MONAI integration)","Microsoft Azure (Cloud hosting and AI development tools)","Amazon Web Services (AWS Partner Network)","Siemens Healthineers","Mint Medical (Oncology imaging solutions)","Velsera (Genomics and imaging data analysis pilot)"]

Notable customers

["Roche","Siemens Healthineers","Stanford University","University of Pennsylvania","Washington University in St. Louis","10 of top 20 global pharmaceutical companies","10 of top 20 academic medical centers"]

Major milestones

["Acquisition of Radiologics in 2021 to integrate XNAT expertise","Closed $54M Series D led by Novalis LifeSciences in June 2023","Appointed healthcare veteran Matthew A. Michela as CEO in October 2024","Secured $27.5M oversubscribed funding round in January 2026","Launched Flywheel Validated and video annotation tools in 2025","Hooman Hakami appointed CEO and Board Chair"]

Growth metrics

43% YoY new business growth, 40% increase in committed revenue, 106% ARR growth from pharma/med device customers, 110%+ net revenue retention; 10 of top 20 pharma and 10 of top 20 AMCs as customers.

Market positioning

Enterprise medical imaging data management and AI enablement platform for Life Sciences and Academic Research.

Geographic focus

Global, with primary operations and customer concentration in North America and Europe.

Patents and IP

Proprietary algorithms for automated data curation and de-identification; intellectual property expanded through the acquisition of Radiologics (XNAT expertise).

About Hooman Hakami

Matthew A. Michela is a veteran healthcare technology executive with over 25 years of leadership experience. Before joining Flywheel as CEO in October 2024, he served as the CEO of Life Image from 2015 to 2022, where he led the company through significant growth and its eventual acquisition by Intelerad. His career includes senior roles at Health Dialog (SVP), CareCore National, and Curve Health, with a consistent focus on scaling healthcare IT platforms and improving clinical outcomes through data innovation.

Official website: