Emi Gal

{{Infobox person | name = Emi Gal | image = Emi Gal 2025.jpg | caption = | birth_name = Emanuel Gal | birth_place = Bucharest, Romania | birth_date = | death_date = | education = Spiru Haret University | employer = | occupation = Romanian software engineer and serial entrepreneur | partner = | children = | website = https://www.emigal.com }}

'''Emanuel "Emi" Gal''' (born February 6, 1986) is a Romanian software engineer and serial entrepreneur based in the United States. He is the founder and CEO of Ezra, an AI-powered medical imaging company acquired by Function Health in 2025, and the co-founder and former CEO of Brainient, an advertising technology company acquired by Teads in 2016.

Gal was born in Bucharest, Romania.<ref>{{Cite web |last=romaniainsider |date=2016-09-12 |title=Romanian tech entrepreneur Emi Gal sells his startup Branient to US group |url=https://www.romania-insider.com/romanian-tech-entrepreneur-emi-gal-sells-startup-branient-us-group |access-date= |website=Romania Insider |language=en}}</ref> He studied Applied Mathematics and Computer Science at Spiru Haret University in Bucharest.

== Career == '''Brainient (2006–2016)'''

In 2006, at age 19 and during his first year at university, Gal founded Brainient, an interactive video advertising technology company.<ref>{{Cite web |last=O'Hear |first=Steve |date=2016-09-12 |title=Video ad company Teads acquires Brainient |url=https://techcrunch.com/2016/09/12/teads-acquires-brainient/ |access-date= |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}}</ref> The company won Seedcamp Week 2009<ref name="seed">{{Cite web |last=Butcher |first=Mike |date=2009-09-25 |title=Seedcamp Announces Its Six Winning Startups For 2009 |url=https://techcrunch.com/2009/09/25/seedcamp-announces-its-six-winning-startups-for-2009/ |access-date= |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}}</ref> and was profiled by The Guardian in 2010.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Halliday |first=Josh |date=2010-09-28 |title=Elevator Pitch: Online video ads start-up Brainient goes from strength to strength |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/pda/2010/sep/27/elevator-pitch-brainient |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> In September 2016, Teads acquired Brainient and rebranded the unit as ''Teads Studio.''<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-09-12 |title=Video ad company Teads acquires Brainient |url=https://techcrunch.com/2016/09/12/teads-acquires-brainient/ |access-date=21 November 2025 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}}</ref>

'''Ezra (2018–2025)'''

In 2018, Gal founded Ezra, with the mission to detect cancer early using AI-powered MRI technology.<ref name="two">{{Cite web |last=Constine |first=Josh |date=2018-11-15 |title=Ezra raises $4M to diagnose cancer with MRIs, not painful biopsies |url=https://techcrunch.com/2018/11/15/ezra-cancer/ |access-date=20 November 2025 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}}</ref>

Ezra launched initially with MRI-based prostate screening and later, full-body MRI services.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-05-23 |title=Using full-body MRIs, Ezra can now detect 11 cancers in men and 13 in women |url=https://techcrunch.com/2019/05/23/ezra-launches-full-body-cancer-screens/ |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}}</ref> The company raised a Series A in 2020 and other financing in 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Bertoni |first1=Steven |title=Cancer Tech Startup Ezra Raised $18 Million Right Before The Pandemic—Now It's Pivoting To Covid-19 Screening |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenbertoni/2020/06/01/cancer-tech-startup-ezra-raised-18-million-on-the-eve-of-the-pandemic-now-its-pivoting-to-covid-19-detection/ |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref>

Trade press reported Ezra’s 2020 U.S. FDA 510(k) clearance for prostate MRI segmentation AI and later clearances for ''Ezra Flash'', an image-processing tool to improve MRI image quality and support shorter protocols.<ref>{{Cite web |title=510(k) Premarket Notification |url=https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfpmn/pmn.cfm?ID=K230264 |website=www.accessdata.fda.gov}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-02-21 |title=Ezra Announces New FDA Clearance, Enhancing the Capabilities of Its Full-Body Scan Technology |url=https://www.biospace.com/press-releases/ezra-announces-new-fda-clearance-enhancing-the-capabilities-of-its-full-body-scan-technology |website=BioSpace |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Adams |first=Katie |date=2023-06-04 |title=Ezra Earns FDA Clearance for AI Tool that Makes MRIs Faster & Cheaper |url=https://medcitynews.com/2023/06/fda-artificial-intelligence-ai-mri-cancer-healthcare/ |access-date=21 November 2025 |website=MedCity News |language=en-US}}</ref>

In May 2025, Function Health acquired Ezra.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-05-12 |title=Function Health Acquires Ezra, Introduces $499 Full-Body MRI Scan |url=https://www.healthcareittoday.com/2025/05/12/function-health-acquires-ezra-introduces-499-full-body-mri-scan/ |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Capoot |first=Ashley |date=2025-05-05 |title=Function Health buys Ezra, launches full-body scan for a third of the price |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2025/05/05/function-health-mri-ezra.html |website=CNBC |language=en}}</ref>

== Recognition ==

* Named among the “50 Coolest People in UK Tech” by Business Insider (2014).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cook |first=James |title=The 50 Coolest People In UK Tech |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/the-50-coolest-people-in-uk-tech-2014-10 |access-date=22 November 2025 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}}</ref> * Appeared on the cover of ''Forbes România'' for its inaugural “30 sub 30” list (2012).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Romania |first=Forbes |date=2020-04-28 |title=Cum arată generațiile "30 sub 30" din 2012 până în prezent - Forbes.ro |url=https://www.forbes.ro/cum-arata-generatiile-30-sub-30-din-2012-pana-prezent-58453 |website=Forbes Romania |language=ro-RO}}</ref> * Seedcamp Week 2009 winner.<ref name="seed" />

==References== {{reflist}}

{{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Gal, Emi}} Category:American people of Romanian descent Category:1986 births Category:Living people Category:Software engineers