The Albany Gazette - EarSmartAI Targets $5B Pediatric Ear Infection Market with AI-Powered Diagnostic Platform, Secures Pre-Seed Investment, Names New CEO

INDIANAPOLIS, IN / ACCESS Newswire / May 21, 2026 / Ear infections are the leading cause of pediatric office visits and antibiotic prescriptions in the US, with over 15 million annual cases and $5 billion in healthcare costs. With a projected pediatrician shortage of over 25,000 by 2030, scalable diagnostic solutions are urgently needed.

To address this growing healthcare challenge, Boomerang Ventures announced a $250,000 pre-seed investment in EarSmartAI, a portfolio company developing an AI-powered connected care platform designed to transform pediatric ear infection management through real-time, at-home diagnostic support. EarSmartAI also named veteran MedTech entrepreneur Mark Terrill as CEO and Co-Founder to lead the company's next phase of regulatory advancement, commercialization, and growth.

Transforming Pediatric Ear Infection Management

EarSmartAI is developing a consumer diagnostic platform that combines a smart otoscope, proprietary AI-powered software, and a mobile app to help parents rapidly identify potential ear infections from home. The platform aims to reduce unnecessary medical visits, enable earlier intervention, and improve access to pediatric care.

Using the EarSmartAI platform, parents can enter symptoms in the mobile app, capture an eardrum video with the company's otoscope, and receive an AI-powered likelihood assessment to guide next steps in care. The company believes this model can fundamentally shift pediatric ear infection diagnosis from reactive office visits toward proactive, real-time assessment from home.

EarSmartAI plans to generate revenue through a combination of connected device sales, software subscription services, and telehealth-related partnerships as it expands its commercialization strategy across consumer, retail, and healthcare distribution channels.

Veteran MedTech Executive to Lead Next Phase of Growth

Terrill brings 20+ years of leadership, founding and scaling medical device companies, with multiple exits and an IPO. As CEO at Arc Medical, he led the company from startup to revenue and its acquisition. As COO at Voco AI, he oversaw research, team growth, and the IPO, including the S-1 filing. At Caliridia Medical, Terrill grew revenue from about $5 million to over $61 million as CEO, leading to acquisition.

"The technology behind EarSmartAI and the caliber of its clinical co-founders immediately stood out to me," said Mark Terrill, CEO and Co-Founder of EarSmartAI. "Parents today are dealing with tremendous stress when a child develops symptoms late at night, and immediate access to pediatric care is limited. EarSmartAI was designed to reduce that disruption by delivering a fast, convenient, and more accurate way to assess ear infections from home. We believe EarSmartAI can become the new standard of care for young children at home, capable of helping families identify potential ear infections in minutes, not hours. No waiting room. No copay. No guesswork."

"Boomerang Ventures understands how to build and scale connected healthcare companies," Terrill said. "Their support goes well beyond capital and brings deep expertise across healthcare innovation. This investment enables us to execute on a clearly defined roadmap that includes completion of our FDA human study, advancement toward De Novo regulatory submission, commercialization preparation, and continued expansion of our AI-powered pediatric diagnostic platform."

Built on Research, Clinical Validation, and Defensible IP

EarSmartAI's platform is built on more than 10 years of scientific research and was developed in collaboration with pediatric experts from the University of Pittsburgh, including renowned acute otitis media thought leaders Dr. Alejandro Hoberman and Dr. Nader Shaikh.

The company's proprietary AI algorithms were trained using more than 1,500 annotated tympanic membrane videos and supported by clinically validated research published in JAMA in 2024. EarSmartAI also maintains patent and copyright protections surrounding its AI-enabled diagnostic technology and image classification methods.

Company leadership believes this combination of proprietary clinical data, AI model development, academic expertise, and intellectual property creates a significant competitive moat within the emerging pediatric digital diagnostics market.

EarSmartAI recently initiated its FDA human study and is executing on a defined regulatory and commercialization timeline designed to support broader market expansion. Following completion of the study and data analysis, the company plans to pursue a De Novo FDA submission as part of its broader strategy to commercialize connected pediatric diagnostic solutions in the United States.

Positioned at the Intersection of AI, MedTech, and Telehealth

EarSmartAI operates at the intersection of MedTech, artificial intelligence, and consumer telehealth - three rapidly growing sectors within healthcare innovation. The company believes its platform can help establish the foundation for a new category of connected pediatric diagnostics by enabling families to screen, assess, and respond to common childhood illnesses from home.

Over the next 24 months, EarSmartAI plans to advance FDA regulatory milestones, expand commercialization readiness, strengthen telehealth and distribution partnerships, and continue building a scalable infrastructure for broader pediatric connected care applications.

"EarSmartAI represents exactly the type of connected health innovation we look for at Boomerang Ventures. Drs. Hoberman and Shaikh are leading pediatric experts in the US for the diagnosis and management of acute otitis media in children, and they co-founded EarSmartAI with Boomerang to address the large unmet need for accurate, at-home detection of an infection 70% of children experience before age two. Boomerang's ongoing support, combined with CEO Mark Terrill's track record building and scaling MedTech companies, makes EarSmartAI a game-changing company for the most common childhood illness," said Eric Beier, MD, MBA, Partner and Chief Medical Officer of Boomerang Ventures.

About EarSmartAI

EarSmartAI is transforming pediatric ear infection management through real-time, AI-powered mobile guidance. By combining proprietary AI, a mobile app, and home otoscope technology, EarSmartAI aims to improve diagnostic accuracy, reduce unnecessary visits, and support earlier intervention for children. Built with leading pediatric experts and backed by clinical research, EarSmartAI focuses on more accessible, convenient, and connected pediatric care solutions. For more information, visit EarSmartAI.com.

About Boomerang Ventures

Founded in 2019, Boomerang Ventures is a venture capital firm focused on early growth-stage connected health technology companies. Leveraging a combination studio and venture fund, Boomerang provides the collaborative direction, deep industry expertise, and continuum of support founders need to take their innovations from ideation to market. Boomerang believes that better patient care begins with identifying and solving the biggest challenges in healthcare.

Boomerang Ventures is proudly and strategically based in Indianapolis, where the healthcare and entrepreneurial business climate is a thriving community ripe with opportunities. With a secure niche at the intersection of health technology, studio-fund synchronization, and the Midwest, Boomerang differentiates itself from the competition. Boomerang Ventures is Healthcare Innovation, Reimagined. For more information, visit Boomerang.vc.

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Media Contact:
Audra Wait | Wait & Co. on behalf of Boomerang Ventures
[email protected] | 615-504-8812

SOURCE: Boomerang Ventures

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