Draper Esprit is thrilled to lead US$ 17.5m Series A investment in hypertension health-tech firm Aktiia. Additional Investors participating in the round include 415 Capital, Redalpine Venture Partners, Verve Ventures and Silicon Valley-Based Translink Capital.
The company’s automated Optical Blood Pressure Monitoring System for 24-7 use at the wrist is the first available on the market, with accelerating sales growth in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France and Italy.
The new capital will be used to expand Aktiia’s commercial footprint in the NHS and key healthcare markets across Europe and to build out a team focusing on the healthcare channel. A percentage of the Series A funds will also go towards obtaining FDA clearance to enable expansion to the US market, following Aktiia's reception of the CE Mark as a Class IIa medical device in Europe, signifying that the device has been assessed to meet high safety, health and environmental protection requirements.
Dr Inga Deakin, principal, Draper Esprit said:
“A key opportunity for healthtech now is to help people with long-term conditions live healthier lives with fewer complications. Technology that enables better management of these conditions reduces mortality, hospital admissions, and ultimately reduces healthcare related costs. With personalised monitoring of their condition, patients and healthcare providers can cooperate to improve outcomes.
“Core to this management are more accessible, accurate ways to measure biomarkers such as blood pressure. This is what we found in Aktiia, who have built a rigorously tested, non-invasive, automated blood pressure monitoring system at the wrist, providing a comprehensive, longitudinal picture of hypertension in patients. Their strong clinical validation, patient engagement, and market traction are extremely impressive and give us every confidence that Aktiia will transform how hypertension is measured and managed globally.”
Mike Kisch, CEO, Aktiia said:
“At Aktiia, we believe the key to improving cardiovascular health is to provide patients and physicians a deeper understanding of their blood pressure pattern. Before Aktiia, it was not possible to do this at scale. We are excited about expanding access to this technology and the positive impact it can have on reducing major adverse cardiovascular events.”
Professor Melvin Lobo, NHS Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine and Director of St. Bartholomew’s Hospital Blood Pressure Clinic said:
“I believe we are only scratching the surface of the possible applications for the long-term 24/7 blood pressure data that Aktiia is uniquely capable of providing to physicians. This is an indisputable game changer in enabling a better understanding of our patients’ blood pressure patterns and how to treat them on a personalized basis.”