Eko, a Silicon Valley-based digital health company building machine learning tools to fight heart disease, today announced it has secured $20 million in Series B funding. Led by ARTIS Ventures, the funding will drive further research and development and commercialization of Eko's machine learning platform for cardiac screening and analysis. Additional new and returning investors in the round include DigiTx Partners, NTT Venture Capital (NTTVC), 3M Ventures, Mayo Clinic, Seraph Group, and XTX Ventures.
Statistics from the American Heart Association show that cardiovascular disease is the leading global cause of death, accounting for more than 17.6 million deaths per year in 2016, a number that is expected to grow to more than 23.6 million by 2030.
"With the staggering number of people affected by heart disease, it's clear that advancements in cardiac screening and monitoring have never been more urgent. Artificial intelligence is arguably one of the most powerful advancements in modern medicine, enabling clinicians to predict with more accuracy, diagnose with more confidence, and in the end, give their patients the best care possible, " said Connor Landgraf, CEO of Eko. "We will use this funding to drive more research, and continue development of data-driven technology to help physicians detect and monitor patients with heart disease that may otherwise be missed. "
Eko is collaborating with medical device and pharmaceutical companies to create combinations of therapies and data to help personalize cardiac care. Eko will also grow its focus on clinical research, investing more in its collaborations with the Mayo Clinic, Northwestern Medicine, and UCSF. Expanding Eko's collaborative studies will enable the company to build algorithms with more robust datasets targeted to specific conditions, including atrial fibrillation and valvular heart disease, as well as congestive heart failure and structural heart disease.
Eko Offers Unprecedented Insight into Cardiac Function, Helps Treat Millions of Patients
Eko has developed the first cardiac monitor to combine digital stethoscope and ECG technology both for in-clinic and at-home monitoring, which enables patients to seamlessly and consistently send cardiac data to their physicians. Its platform is used by tens of thousands of clinicians treating millions of patients at over 3,000 hospitals and providers around the world.
"Eko is transforming cardiac care as we know it, " said Vasudev Bailey, PhD, partner at ARTIS Ventures. "They are the perfect example of how machine learning using quality data sets can positively influence patient outcomes and improve quality of care. This demonstrates the potential for an immense pipeline of life-saving applications where sound can aid in the screening of many other diseases. "
Collaborating with the Biggest Names in Healthcare
Eko has partnered with some of the biggest names in healthcare to change how cardiac care is managed, including:
- Mayo Clinic is collaborating with Eko to develop and commercialize a machine learning-based algorithm that screens patients for the presence of a low ejection fraction – a weak heart pump. Once identified, evidence-based treatments are available that prolong life and reduce the risk of symptoms
- Northwestern Medicine is partnering with Eko on a study to improve valvular heart disease screening using machine learning, with plans to further expand this study in the coming year
- Sutter Health is currently using Eko's enterprise software in Northern California to connect cardiologists in Sacramento with patients who visit rural clinics for ongoing cardiology services
For more information about Eko visit ekohealth.com.