Whole-body MRI firm Ezra acquired by celebrity-backed longevity startup Function Health

Function Health—a longevity startup backed by celebrities such as Matt Damon, Pedro Pascal and Kevin Hart—is acquiring whole-body MRI firm Ezra, the two announced Monday. 

Leaders did not disclose financial terms of the deal, with the Austin, Texas-based buyer planning to launch a 22-minute, $500 new elective imaging exam. This would replace Ezra’s previous basic offering, which cost $1,500 and took 30 minutes. 

Founded in 2022, Function Health provides a platform that charges users $499 annually to undergo 100-plus lab tests, empowering them to live “100 healthy years.” The company also closed a $53 million Series A financing round a year ago, with several current and former professional athletes also participating. 

“Adding imaging was part of our vision from Day 1,” Jonathan Swerdlin, an entrepreneur, co-founder and CEO of Function Health, said in a statement May 5. “Our brilliant team first focused on making comprehensive lab testing affordable and widely available. Now with Ezra becoming a part of Function, we complete the picture. It's time everyone owns their health, every year. This is the best use of AI—applying it directly to human life.”

Ezra, meanwhile, is based in New York City and was founded in 2018. The company is part of an increasingly crowded elective whole-body MRI market that includes fellow celebrity-backed startup Prenuvo and radiology practice SimonMed Imaging. Ezra has raised over $44 million in funding and scored multiple U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearances for technology to improve its MRI exams. The company does not operate its own brick-and-mortar locations. Instead, it has inked partnerships with radiology groups to use its AI tools and services, including Princeton Radiology, Rayus and Longhorn Imaging. 

Function Health on Monday touted Ezra’s ability to detect cancer before symptoms emerge. Its scans also can reveal “hidden issues you otherwise might not know about,” such as silent strokes that can lead to cognitive decline. Function Health said it will offer additional scans to look for spinal issues impacting mobility, early stage fatty liver disease, body composition details and other clinical concerns.  

Leaders touted AI’s ability to boost access to MRI, cutting exam times from 60 minutes to 22 while reducing the price tag, transforming “yesterday’s luxury into today’s essential.” Their integrated scan model is immediately available to every Function Health member at almost 100 locations across the U.S. with plans to expand to 1,000 more in the coming months. Function’s lab tests are already available at all 2,200 Quest Diagnostics outposts nationwide, assessing everything from heart health to hormones, “cancer signals,” immunity and aging factors. The company estimates that nearly 200,000 members have joined since 2023.

"I started Ezra with a clear mission: to detect cancer early for everyone in the world," software engineer, entrepreneur and Founder Emi Gal, who will continue to lead the business, said in the announcement. "This mission is deeply personal for me—if my mother had detected cancer early, she would still be alive today. Over the past six years my team and I have helped countless people find cancer, many of whom are now cancer free. We are now scaling this to millions together with Function."

Ezra also offers a $2,395 “full body plus” MRI exam that incorporates spine assessments and a $2,695 option adding CT for lung and heart assessment. Its AI solutions include Ezra Flash AI for enhancing MR image quality, Ezra AI for assistance interpreting scans, and Ezra Reporter for simplifying language in rad reports. The company claims it’s the first in the world to leverage AI across all three components of cancer screening including imaging, analysis and reporting. 

Function Health reportedly has sought $200 million in new investments, which would place the company’s valuation at $2 billion, Bloomberg reported in February. 

Whole-body MRIs have been the source of some controversy in recent years. The American College of Radiology does not support the practice, noting there is no clinical evidence proving these exams prolong life.