Czech medtech startup Kardi Ai has raised €5.3 million in a Series A funding round led by German HealthTech investment firm Callisto Health. Other investors include Česká spořitelna and Slovenská sporiteľňa through Seed Starter, along with BrightCap Ventures, Purple Ventures, DEPO Ventures and Garage Angels.
Kardi Ai develops technology that helps monitor heart health over longer periods and detect possible heart rhythm problems at an early stage. Its solution combines a fitness chest strap with an ECG sensor, a mobile app and AI-powered analysis of heart activity.
Traditional heart tests usually record heart activity for a short period. As a result, they may miss irregular heartbeats that happen occasionally. Kardi Ai aims to solve this problem by allowing people to monitor their heart activity during their daily routines. The collected data can help doctors identify possible heart problems and decide whether further medical checks are needed. The system does not provide medical diagnoses but supports doctors in making clinical decisions.
In the Czech Republic, Kardi Ai works with more than 70 hospitals and over 20 corporate and employee-benefit partners. More than 6,000 people are currently using its technology. According to the company, its system has detected possible heart rhythm problems in around one-quarter of its users, including more than 500 cases classified as critical.
The company has also expanded into Slovakia, where it works with more than 20 doctors, mainly cardiologists. It entered the market several months ago.
Kardi Ai has also established operations in Poland, Romania and Bulgaria. The company is preparing to enter Germany after completing pilot projects there. It has also received regulatory approvals for its planned expansion into India and the United Arab Emirates. Meanwhile, it is completing the medical device approval process in Singapore.
“We are gradually moving beyond detecting heart rhythm disorders towards technology capable of identifying an increased risk before arrhythmia manifests. Nearly two billion people live in the markets where we already operate or are preparing to launch. The new capital will allow us to validate this technology at global scale and across patient demographics and pursue our ambition to become a leading provider of long-term ECG monitoring in these markets,” said Vlastimil Hrabal, co-founder and CEO of Kardi Ai.
The new funding will help Kardi Ai expand its business across Europe and Asia. Germany is one of its main priorities, while the company also plans to enter India, the United Arab Emirates and Singapore.
Kardi Ai also plans to develop AI models that analyse multiple ECG readings to identify the risk of heart rhythm problems before they happen. These models are still being developed and will need clinical testing and regulatory approval before they can be used in medical practice.
