Aktiia® launches into healthcare market with $17.5M investment for its world-first 24-7 Blood Pressure Monitoring System

NEUCHATEL, Switzerland, Nov. 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hypertension health-tech firm Aktiia today announced a $17.5M Series A round of funding that will be used to accelerate its expansion in the NHS and in health systems across Europe. The funding is led by UK-based venture capital firm Draper Esprit, with additional participation from Germany's 415 CAPITAL, Switzerland's Redalpine Venture Partners and Verve Capital, and Silicon Valley based Translink Capital.

Aktiia's revolutionary 24-7 automated blood pressure monitoring system enables stress-free reading round the clock, and has the potential to transform the diagnosis and treatment of hypertension, which affects approximately 1.28 billion adults worldwide and is a leading cause of premature death.

Aktiia already has tens of thousands of consumers across the UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, France, Switzerland, and Italy. This Series A will be used to expand its offer to healthcare systems within these geographies as well as moving into new territories.

In addition to endorsement by leading clinicians in hypertension management, Aktiia is now also an official partner of the International Society of Hypertension. It's huge potential was further underlined  this week when leading peer-reviewed scientific journal Nature Scientific Reports published Aktiia's clinical trial,  which validated the optical bracelet in different body positions for the persistent monitoring of blood pressure, cementing Aktiia as a solution for the real-life phenotyping of patients according to individual blood pressure pattern. As nighttime blood pressure measurements are the strongest predictor of cardiovascular risk, and Aktiia is the only easy 24/7 solution that enables these measurements without cuff inflation, this is an incredibly exciting moment for hypertension diagnostics.

Since launch in Spring 2021, Aktiia now has tens of thousands of users, who on average check their blood pressure data over sixteen times a week, with an average of 150 weekly readings performed by the device automatically in the background. The data is then visualized in a free companion application; with a simple click, a digital summary can be easily shared with a physician or family member. In contrast, the average hypertensive patient currently measures their blood pressure only once per week due to the inconvenience and discomfort associated with a traditional cuff. Combined with white coat hypertension, masked hypertension, and other common issues with in-office diagnosis, this sporadic at-home monitoring can lead to poor management and delays in optimising treatment. 

The brand is expanding its commercial footprint in key healthcare markets across Europe and the globe, starting with the appointment of new Head of European Healthcare Sales and Partnerships Richard Cardow, a twenty-year veteran of the cardiovascular monitoring industry. 

Aktiia has been validated in multiple clinical studies, with the results of its pivotal clinical trial peer-reviewed and published in "Nature Scientific Reports" and "Blood Pressure Monitoring" and it has received a CE Mark as a Class IIa medical device. Aktiia has also gained endorsement from several top clinicians in the field: 

"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," stated Professor Melvin Lobo, NHS Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine and Director of St. Bartholomew's Hospital Blood Pressure Clinic. "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." 

Notes to editors

How It Works 

Aktiia's Optical Blood Pressure Monitoring (OBPM^TM) algorithms leverage optical sensors worn on the wrist and provide blood pressure values using photoplethysmography (PPG) to analyze the changing diameter of the arteries occurring at each heartbeat. This optical measurement is done automatically, so users are not aware and stressed, and do not have to interrupt their day or their sleep to take a measurement. 

About Aktiia:  Founded in Switzerland in May 2018, Aktiia's team has some of the world's leading scientific and technical experts in optical blood pressure monitoring, including CTO, Dr. Josep Sola, a pioneer in cuffless blood pressure monitoring and editor of "The Handbook of Cuffless Blood Pressure Monitoring." The core technology was first developed over decades of research at the prestigious Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM), under a team lead by Aktiia co-founders, Dr. Mattia Bertschi and Dr. Josep Sola. 

"At Aktiia, we believe the key to improving cardiovascular health is to provide patients and physicians a deeper understanding of their blood pressure pattern," said Mike Kisch, Aktiia CEO. "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." 

Pricing & Availability 

Aktiia is available for purchase now in the UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, and Italy via Aktiia.com for £199.99 / €199.99 / CHF219.99. The Aktiia bracelet, the Aktiia cuff (used for initialization once per month), and the Aktiia 24/7 Blood Pressure Monitoring service are all included in the price. Users maintain ownership of devices, and continue to have ongoing free access to their data and the essential feature set. 

To learn more, visit Aktiia.com. 

Download the press kit here.

Media Contact for Aktiia: 
Ana Hoyos
ZPB Associates 
07849089456
ana.hoyos@zpb-associates.com