We are clinicians, investors, and operators who have spent careers at the intersection of clinical medicine, company building, and early-stage investing in ophthalmology. We invest personally in every opportunity we bring to the group.
Meet the Principals
Firas Rahhal, MD
Firas Rahhal, MD is a co-founder and partner at EyeSci Angels, a vitreoretinal specialist in active clinical practice, and a founding partner at ExSight Ventures.
He is Associate Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at the UCLA Geffen School of Medicine and has served as principal investigator on more than 100 ophthalmology clinical trials. Earlier in his career, Firas served as Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology and Retina Clinic Director at Weill Cornell University Medical College, where he combined patient care with academic leadership.
Firas currently serves on the Board of Directors of Horizon Surgical Systems, a company developing ophthalmic microsurgical robotics, and has advised both early-stage companies and established industry leaders across ophthalmology.
At EyeSci Angels, Firas contributes the perspective of a clinician-scientist whose evaluation of early-stage technologies is grounded in direct research and clinical trial experience spanning more than two decades.
John S. Pollack, MD
John S. Pollack, MD is a co-founder and partner at EyeSci Angels and a retina specialist with nearly three decades of experience spanning clinical practice, company formation, and ophthalmic innovation.
John has founded multiple ophthalmic companies across data analytics, devices, and ocular health, including Vestrum Health, acquired by CorEvitas in 2021. He has served as Chief Medical Officer of jCyte, a late-stage regenerative cell therapy company, and Neurotech Pharmaceuticals, a biologic-device platform developing continuous intraocular drug delivery systems, providing direct operational leadership through clinical development, regulatory strategy, and commercialization.
He currently serves on the Board of Directors of PulseMedica, as Chair of the Board of Advisors for InnSight Technologies, and on the Ophthalmology Investment Committee of the Octane Boost Fund, and is former President of the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS).
John brings the operational depth of someone who has built and led ophthalmic companies as a founder and chief medical officer, a perspective that is both rare and directly relevant to evaluating early-stage investment opportunities.
Michael Nissen, MD
Michael Nissen, MD is a co-founder and partner at EyeSci Angels, a vitreoretinal surgeon in active clinical practice, and a co-founder and partner at ExSight Ventures.
He has been a faculty member at Weill Cornell University Medical Center since 1998, with a particular focus on the surgical training of retina fellows in the United States and abroad. Michael is the founder and director of the Insight Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing ophthalmic education and access to eye care globally.
Through ExSight Ventures, Michael has invested in early-stage ophthalmic companies and applied clinical and surgical judgment to investment decisions across the firm's portfolio.
At EyeSci Angels, Michael contributes a perspective shaped by decades of surgical practice and clinical education, offering a grounded assessment of what early-stage technologies must deliver to meaningfully advance patient outcomes.
James Murray, JD
James Murray, JD is a co-founder and partner at EyeSci Angels and a venture investor with experience spanning ophthalmic innovation, company building, and capital markets. He is a co-founder and partner at ExSight Ventures.
At ExSight Ventures, James has led investments in early-stage ophthalmic companies across the investment lifecycle, working closely with founders and management teams through development and growth. He oversees ExSight's operations and serves on its investment committee.
James serves on the Board of Directors of Re-Vana Therapeutics, Ltd., an ocular pharmaceuticals and drug delivery company, and on the Board of the Usher III Initiative. He is admitted to practice law in the State of New York and previously served as Chair of the Emerging Companies and Venture Capital Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York.
James contributes the legal, operational, and capital markets expertise that shapes how EyeSci Angels sources, structures, and executes investments.