Cognitive Wellness Gets a ‘Treadmill Test’: How Ivory is Making Brain Health a Preventive Priority in India

The Cognitive Gap in Healthcare

For decades, a routine health check-up has followed a predictable script. You get detailed insights into your cardiovascular system, your liver function, your cholesterol levels, and your blood sugar. It is a comprehensive report card for the body’s organs.

But there is a critical gap in this picture: the brain. Until now, cognitive health has largely been an afterthought—assessed only when symptoms become severe enough to warrant a neurologist’s visit. By that time, for millions, the window for effective early intervention has often closed.

Bengaluru-based healthtech startup Ivory is stepping into this void. The company has unveiled what it calls the “Brain Treadmill Test” —an AI-powered, neuroscience-based digital assessment designed to measure memory, attention, and executive function. Much like a physical treadmill test evaluates heart performance under stress, this new tool aims to make cognitive health measurable, trackable, and, crucially, a routine part of preventive healthcare.

Inside the ‘Brain Treadmill Test’

Founded in 2023 by Issac John and Rahul Krishnan, who met during an Antler residency programme, Ivory has built a platform that positions itself as a “preventive health layer” for the brain.

The core product is a clinical-grade cognitive screening tool that goes beyond subjective questionnaires. Using a mix of digital markers and voice-based biomarkers, the platform offers users a baseline cognitive score benchmarked against their age and gender. It breaks down performance across multiple cognitive skills—such as attention, memory, and executive function—and provides actionable recommendations for improvement.

“Today, if you do a full-body health checkup, you get detailed reports on liver function, cardiovascular markers, and more, but nothing on cognition. That’s the gap we address,” John explained in a recent statement.

The company has already conducted over 18,000 cognitive assessments across India and is currently running clinical trials in hospital settings to establish robust baseline datasets for the Indian population.

Funding, Partners, and a Growing Market

Ivory’s mission has attracted significant attention from both global investors and strategic healthcare partners.

Recent Developments & Backing:

• Fresh Funding: The startup recently raised $1 million in a funding round featuring Draper Associates and SAGE Venture Fund. The round also saw participation from the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) (as a selection partner) and IFCI Venture, backed by SIDBI. This brings the company’s total raised to approximately $2.5 million.
• Strategic Partnership: Ivory has partnered with Metropolis Healthcare to integrate its cognitive assessments into preventive health packages. The startup is also in discussions with other diagnostic chains, insurers, and corporate wellness platforms, including the longevity-focused platform Ultrahuman.

The market opportunity is vast. Co-founder Rahul Krishnan notes that an estimated 30–35 million people in India may have mild cognitive impairment (MCI). However, the company’s target market extends far beyond that, encompassing the 140–150 million diagnostic tests conducted annually in India, of which 15–20% are preventive in nature.

India’s ‘Silver’ Imperative

The timing of Ivory’s expansion aligns with a broader structural shift in India’s demographics. The country is ageing rapidly. According to Census 2011, India has close to 100 million people above the age of 60, a figure expected to cross 300 million by 2050, accounting for nearly a fifth of the population.

This is creating a significant “grey market.” As families become more nuclear and children migrate to cities, a care gap has emerged that the state is currently unequipped to fill. A growing number of cases of memory loss and dementia are highlighting India’s lack of early intervention infrastructure.

“Our goal is to make cognitive testing a routine part of healthcare, starting as early as the 40s,” said Krishnan. “If we can bring cognitive screening into preventive care, we can potentially delay or reduce the incidence of serious conditions like dementia”.

The Road Ahead: From Reactive to Predictive

For the Indian startup ecosystem, Ivory’s journey signals a maturation of the healthtech sector. Founders are moving beyond telemedicine and appointment booking to build sophisticated, data-backed diagnostic tools.

By embedding cognitive assessment across diagnostics, insurance, and corporate wellness, Ivory is not just building a product; it is trying to create a new category of preventive care. The goal is to shift the narrative from treating brain decline to anticipating and delaying it.

“The broader idea is to embed cognitive assessment across different healthcare touchpoints — diagnostics, insurance, corporate wellness, and even sleep and longevity programmes,” John noted.

As India confronts the dual challenges of a massive ageing population and a surge in lifestyle-induced cognitive issues, solutions like Ivory’s “Brain Treadmill Test” could redefine what it means to be truly healthy.

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