Sunlight AI, a startup with roots in Miami and New York, has come out of stealth with $17.4 million in seed funding to help independent physician practices compete with large health systems while doctors keep ownership, Refresh Miami reported Oct. 20.
Basis Set Ventures founder Lan Xuexhao led the round. Sofeon Ventures, Social Leverage, Actions Capital, Overlook Ventures, Early Light Ventures, and several healthcare investors and technology founders also took part.
Sunlight also announced its first acquisition, Bradford Medical Associates. The company plans a series of acquisitions of businesses that serve independent physicians.
Rather than selling a single point tool, Sunlight takes over much of a practice’s business infrastructure. It pairs AI and technology with human support to handle administrative work, improve payment collections and free physicians to see more patients. CEO Sina Chehrazi said the operating system is now live in all 50 states.
Mr. Chehrazi previously founded Nayya Health, a benefits technology company that serves more than 5 million employees. His father, Dr. Barry Chehrazi, has worked as an independent neurosurgeon for decades and now sits on Sunlight’s Independent Medicine Advisory Board.
“I grew up seeing what getting paid costs a practice,” Mr. Chehrazi said.
The launch comes as consolidation reshapes physician employment. Hospitals and corporate entities acquired more than 85,000 physician practices between 2018 and 2026, and only 18% of physicians remain independent. Research from Yale University and the National Bureau of Economic Research found that physician prices rose 15.1% within two years of a hospital acquisition, with no measurable gain in care quality.
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