Czech medtech Kardi Ai raises €5.3M to advance predictive heart monitoring

Czech medical technology firm Kardi Ai has secured €5.3 million in Series A funding to enhance its predictive heart monitoring solutions. The investment was spearheaded by German HealthTech VC fund Callisto Health, with backing from Česká spořitelna and Slovenská sporiteľňa through Seed Starter, as well as participation from BrightCap Ventures, Purple Ventures, DEPO Ventures, and Garage Angels.

Kardi Ai's technology platform facilitates long-term heart rhythm monitoring through a fitness chest strap equipped with an electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor, a mobile application, and artificial intelligence analysis of ECG recordings. Unlike conventional cardiac examinations that capture heart activity over short periods, Kardi Ai enables patients to monitor their heart rhythms during daily activities, generating valuable data for physicians to identify potential issues and determine the need for further medical intervention.

The system does not diagnose conditions but supports clinical decision-making through continuous monitoring and analysis. In the Czech Republic, Kardi Ai collaborates with over 70 hospitals and 20 corporate and employee-benefit partners, with its technology utilized by more than 6,000 individuals. The company has also identified potential cardiac arrhythmias in approximately one quarter of its users, including over 500 critical findings.

Kardi Ai has recently expanded into Slovakia, partnering with more than 20 physicians, primarily cardiologists, following its entry into the market. The company has also established operations in Poland, Romania, and Bulgaria, with plans to join Germany upon completing pilot projects. Regulatory approvals obtained by Kardi Ai support its expansion into India and the United Arab Emirates, with the medical device approval process underway in Singapore.

CEO Vlastimil Hrabal envisions Kardi Ai's technology advancing beyond the detection of heart rhythm disorders to identify increased risk factors before arrhythmia occurs. With nearly two billion potential users across markets where the company operates or plans to launch, the new funding will enable Kardi Ai to validate its technology at a global scale and cater to diverse patient demographics.

The company aims to become a leading provider of long-term ECG monitoring in these markets, and intends to develop predictive models that analyze multiple ECG measurements to estimate the risk of cardiac arrhythmias before they manifest. These models are currently under development and require clinical validation and regulatory approval before integration into medical practice.