Meet the Six Finalists for Second VSP Vision Innovation Challenge  

VSP Vision’s Global Innovation Center and MATTER, the premier healthcare incubator and innovation hub, have announced six finalists for its second annual VSP Vision Innovation Challenge, a global competition to source and advance solutions enhancing the eye care experience.   

The six startups—three early-stage and three late-stage—will present their solutions live on stage during Vision Expo West, the optical industry’s largest gathering of vision care professionals and executives, on September 18 in Las Vegas.  

Topcon Healthcare, Inc. is supporting the 2025 program by offering early-stage finalists the potential to secure a $400,000 investment from their THINC Ventures corporate venture capital arm, or for growth-stage finalists to present directly to THINC Ventures.  

The six finalists for the 2025 VSP Vision Innovation Challenge are: 

Early Stage: 

• Vitazi -  AI-powered decision support platform enabling the early detection of various conditions, including diabetic retinopathy, cardiovascular disease, and neurodegenerative disorders, through a retinal scan. Vitazi.ai delivers a fully supported service model with clinical oversight from board-certified eye care professionals. 
• Soliddd - AR glasses for macular degeneration that restore full-field sight to functionally blind people. The company is also testing the device’s effect on people living with glaucoma, optic neuritis, cone-rod dystrophy, retinitis pigmentosa, and severe astigmatism.  
• Muse AI  - AI eyewear recommendation tool helping independent optometrists and retailers create a personalized pre-shopping discovery experience for their customers. Unlike conventional virtual try-ons, the tool intelligently explains the stylistic and functional fit of each recommendation, significantly enhancing the customer experience.  

Late Stage: 

• Remidio - Suite of AI-enabled hardware and software delivering remote, accessible eye care and whole-body health. Remidio is the first and only company to have both a simple-to-use, extensively deployed hardware platform based on a smartphone for capturing high-quality retinal images without dilation, and a proprietary Vision Foundational AI Model, a platform technology that enables multiple AI algorithms to be deployed on the edge. 
• Vivid Vision  - VR-based vision therapy system treating various vision problems such as amblyopia (lazy eye), strabismus (crossed eyes), and more. The company’s VVP technology for digital endpoints in AMD and glaucoma clinical trials enables at-home visual field testing with 10 times more data precision, accelerating pharmaceutical trial timelines from 2-3 years to 9-12 months. 
• Reyedar  - Eye tracking AI for early detection of glaucoma, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's. It is designed for use in both optical retail and hospital environments, eliminating the trade-off between sensitivity and specificity that limits current screening protocols. 

"Through the submissions, we saw extremely high-quality companies from across the globe innovating in eye care, demonstrating the viability and opportunity to improve patients' health through the eye care industry,” said Zachary Poll, Ecosystem Principal of the Global Innovation Center. 

Before the live pitch event, the finalists will participate in a four-week bootcamp from August 11 through September 5 to enhance and refine their pitch and receive mentorship from leading vision care, venture capital, and healthcare professionals.  

Click here for more information about the VSP Vision Innovation Challenge.  

For more vision innovation news and updates, check out the Global Innovation Center's LinkedIn page.