Eyexora Launches the First Hub-and-Spoke Model for Accelerating Ophthalmology Innovation

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NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 10, 2025--

Eyexora announced today its launch as the first company founded to accelerate innovation in ophthalmology using a hub-and-spoke model. The company is building a global portfolio starting with collaborations in Singapore and Europe, with its initial assets in-licensed from the Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI).

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Photo caption (from left to right): Eyexora co-founders Tom Egan (Board Member), Miling Harrington (General Counsel), Bill Link (Chair), Theresa Heah (CEO), Sam Backenroth (Chief Financial Officer), Welyn Bui (Chief Operating Officer and President). Photo credit: Eyexora

Eyexora’s seed financing was led by life sciences investor ClavystBio, with participation from leading ophthalmology experts. The company’s mission is to advance a diversified portfolio of anterior and posterior segment therapeutics, as well as ophthalmic devices, in a $50 billion global market serving more than two billion patients.

Eyexora overcomes the inefficiencies of traditional drug development by centralizing scientific, clinical, regulatory, and commercial expertise in a shared operational “hub” that deploys across its subsidiaries. Each subsidiary houses a distinct therapeutic or technology program, enabling scalable growth while reducing risk.

The model is designed to balance validated mechanisms with high impact “moonshots,” replenished with clinic-ready assets sourced from global clinician-scientists and academic incubators. Eyexora is headquartered in the U.S. with plans to open global subsidiaries to best support its business model.

Eyexora was co-founded by ophthalmology leaders with decades of combined industry experience. Bill Link, PhD, Chairman of Eyexora, is a renowned ophthalmology investor and entrepreneur, having founded Versant Ventures, AMO, and Flying-L Partners. Vice Chair, CEO and Co-Founder Theresa Heah, MD, MBA, has held senior leadership positions at Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Kriya, AGTC, Sanofi-Fovea, and Bayer, and is recognized for her proven track record in late-stage ophthalmic drug development.

“Traditional ophthalmology drug development has been dominated by single-asset pipelines, making innovation slow, costly, and high-risk,” said Dr. Theresa Heah, CEO, Eyexora. “Eyexora is built to change that by bringing the right structure, global partnerships, and deep domain expertise together to deliver transformative treatments faster, smarter, and at scale.”

“We are delighted to partner with Eyexora to advance innovative ophthalmic therapies on a global scale,” said Professor Jod S. Mehta, Executive Director of the Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI). “This collaboration reflects SERI’s commitment to translating cutting-edge science into clinical solutions and underscores Singapore’s role as a hub for world-class translational eye research.”

“Ophthalmology has no shortage of brilliant science, but the industry is ripe for a new structure to optimize the translation of science into patient impact,” said Dr. Bill Link, Chairman of Eyexora. “With the right team, partners, and science, Eyexora is positioned to change the innovation curve for patients globally.”

Dr. Heah will be introducing Eyexora during a presentation at the Ophthalmology Futures Forum. Dr. Link is an invited panelist, and Eyexora will host the Forum’s official evening reception on September 11, 2025, at the Hotel d’Angleterre in Copenhagen.

About Eyexora

Eyexora is a global ophthalmology company pioneering a hub-and-spoke model to accelerate innovation in eye care. By centralizing scientific, clinical, regulatory, and commercial expertise, Eyexora advances a diversified pipeline of therapies and devices through focused subsidiaries, to reduce risk, improve efficiency, and scale impact. Founded by leaders with decades of ophthalmology experience and a track record of more than 30 successful company and product launches, Eyexora partners with clinician-scientists and research institutes worldwide to bring transformative eye care solutions to patients faster and smarter. For more information, visit www.eyexora.com.

About Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI)

Established in 1997, the Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI) is Singapore's national research institute for ophthalmic and vision research, with a mission to conduct high-impact eye research that prevents blindness, low vision and major eye diseases common to Singaporeans and Asians. Over the past decade, SERI has conducted landmark research projects leading to tangible outcomes and patient benefits, paving the way for significant improvements in how eye diseases are treated and prevented globally. The institute has grown from a founding team of five in 1997 to a faculty of more than 250 staff, including clinician scientists, researchers, PhD students and support staff, making it one of Singapore's largest research institutes and the largest eye research institute in the Asia Pacific region.

As the research arm of the Singapore National Eye Centre, SERI is directly affiliated with the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore and Duke-NUS Medical School, undertaking vision research in collaboration with local clinical centres and major eye institutes worldwide. The institute has published an impressive 5,942 scientific papers, secured substantial external competitive grants, and as of December 2024, its faculty has received more than 1,425 national and international prizes whilst filing 188 patents. SERI ranks first globally in terms of eye publications per capita, far ahead of the US, UK and Japan, making it comparable to renowned eye institutes both regionally and internationally. For more information, visit www.seri.com.sg.

About ClavystBio

ClavystBio is a life sciences investor and venture builder established by Temasek to accelerate the commercialization of breakthrough ideas into health impact. We invest and partner with founders and entrepreneurs to launch and grow global companies from Asia. Our focus spans therapeutics, digital health and medtech, with an emphasis on first-in-class science and technology. Our collaborative space, Node 1, provides plug-and-play spaces for ventures that have graduated from incubators to progress to their next milestones. By bringing startups together, we foster a vibrant and supportive community. For more information, please visit www.clavystbio.com/ and follow us on LinkedIn.

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KEYWORD: UNITED STATES SINGAPORE SOUTHEAST ASIA NORTH AMERICA ASIA PACIFIC EUROPE DENMARK NEW YORK

INDUSTRY KEYWORD: MEDICAL DEVICES HEALTH HEALTH TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH SCIENCE OPTICAL

SOURCE: Eyexora

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PUB: 09/10/2025 08:00 AM/DISC: 09/10/2025 08:01 AM

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