Sam Kavusi
Head of Retina Imaging, Verily Life Sciences
Bio
Dr. Sam Kavusi is an Engineering Executive with 20+ years building and scaling AI-enabled imaging systems, medical devices, and deep-tech hardware platforms across Google, Verily, and Bosch. His Stanford Ph.D. focused on high-speed, high-dynamic-range image sensors. More recently his work has included integrating on-device AI, computational imaging, sensors, optics, and IC design, consistently turning advanced R&D into products with meaningful clinical and commercial impact.
Sam co-founded and led the Retina-AI program across Alphabet, architecting an FDA-cleared retina imaging system with embedded AI and a fully integrated teleretinal platform. This effort translated a decade-defining JAMA publication into real-world clinical practice through multiple regulated medical devices (SaMD and hardware). The platform reduced imaging failure rates from 30% to 3%, cut device cost by an order of magnitude, and was deployed across 10 states. With the goal of preventing vision loss and expanding insight into systemic diseases in a cost-effective way. It also established a deep patent foundation—100+ granted patents, including 30+ he co-invented in retina imaging and AI workflow.
Across Big Tech, startups, and research labs, he has built and led multidisciplinary teams (with sizable headcount and 8-figure budgets) and created over $1B in enterprise value. His work includes accelerating major programs by over 3×, achieving over 8× cost efficiency, and developing next-generation sensing technologies such as the Bio-ASIC platform at Bosch. He has collaborated with companies across North America, APAC, and Europe, from early-stage ventures to global enterprises.
Outside his primary roles, he advises and invests in startups on technology development and GTM strategy across software services, healthtech, AI, sensors, and deep tech. He has also served on technical committees for leading conferences (IEEE ISSCC, OSA CLEO) and on government/industry collaborations (FDA CCOI, NIH EyeGene, SRC Bioelectronics, NSF Algorithm-Hardware Co-design).