Aktiia, a Swiss-US startup that has developed an optical blood pressure monitor at the wrist, has raised an additional USD 6.1 Million (CHF 6 million) in funding to bring its product to market.
Read more Accuracy of Aktiia’s cuffless blood pressure technology is revealed by a clinical trial in the ICU
Aktiia’s technology is based on 15 years of research by its founders. It combines common optical sensors and proprietary clinically validated algorithms to measure blood pressure at the wrist. Validated through extensive trials in acute and low-acute settings, its accuracy has received worldwide acknowledgement, enabling Aktiia to proudly offer the most complete and user-friendly blood pressure companion to date. With one third of adults globally suffering from hypertension, this mission is more urgent than ever.
In 2018, Aktiia raised a CHF 4 million Seed Round of funding and the company was incorporated, with the mission to reduce the burden of hypertension. In the past two years, the Aktiia team has translated scientific knowledge into a complete solution for cuffless blood pressure monitoring, using standard optical sensors to take accurate blood pressure readings around the clock without interrupting daily life.
Aktiia’s bracelet and algorithms have now been validated in clinical trials against arterial lines (the gold standard for clinical reference) and in ambulatory settings. Never before has it been possible to measure blood pressure profiles around the clock over long periods of time. This valuable and unique dataset will allow for broader insights into the diagnosis and treatment of hypertension, the largest epidemic of humankind.
Aktiia is in the final steps of taking this new solution to market, pending FDA clearance and CE mark. This CHF 6 million in new funding, led by the Switzerland based Redalpine, will fuel Aktiia in achieving these goals. The round includes a strategically recruited international investor syndicate: Translink Capital (Palo Alto, US), Investiere (Zurich, Switzerland), Libra (New York, US), Christian Wenger (Zurich, Switzerland), Sparks Street Capital (Boston, US) and Barbaric Holdings (Montreal, Canada) underpinning the company with a global network and commercialization experience.
“Getting blood pressure data 24/7, day and night, is a paradigm shift in the daily management of hypertension and will trigger a whole range of novel health- and wellness-related applications,” stated Michael Sidler, Co-Founder and Partner of Redalpine.
About Aktiia
Aktiia was founded in Switzerland in May 2018 out of a passion to create the best tool for diagnosis and treatment of hypertension. Aktiia’s founders, Mattia Bertschi (CEO) and Josep Solà (CTO), previously contributed to research and development at CSEM, a prestigious Swiss research institute. They built an incredible team of 15 employees and founded Aktiia to turn their years of pioneering work into a useful tool for people around the globe.
