Helsinki-based AIATELLA has landed €2 million (~ $2.17 million) in a fresh fundraise as it looks to expand its AI-powered cardiovascular imaging tech. The round was led by Nordic Science Investments. Other notable investors in the round include Specialist VC, Harjavalta Ventures, Business Finland, and a syndicate of angel investors. The funding will help the company scale its technology, expand its team, and increase its presence in hospitals.
The startup’s goal is to improve early detection of heart disease and strokes using fast, automated analysis of cardiac MRI and CT scans. It claims to dramatically reduce the time and workload typically required for diagnosis. With such advancements, the startup aims to prevent up to 100 million strokes worldwide.
Importantly, AIATELLA’s platform uses artificial intelligence (AI) to identify cardiovascular risk factors from imaging data with high speed and accuracy. According to several studies, the AI-based solution can process imaging results in just a few seconds (on average 2.6 seconds), compared to around 5.5 minutes when analyzed manually by cardiologists. These studies also show that such an AI-based system achieves around a 95-98% agreement rate with expert cardiologist assessments, indicating strong reliability in clinical settings.
“I saw that the current imaging workflows take a lot of time and resources, with ever-increasing scan volumes and a global shortage of radiologists leading to large backlogs; Radiologists were, and are, burning out. Our technology helps medical professionals analyse imaging much more efficiently, and at an earlier stage, so patients can get help before it’s too late,” Jack Parker (CEO, AIATELLA) said in his statement.
The company has already begun piloting its technology in hospitals in the UK and the US. One pilot project in England’s North East (a region with some of the highest rates of cardiovascular disease). According to the firm’s claim, it has shown promising results in improving early detection rates.
Additionally, the startup is also working on an ultrasound-based portable screening technology to enable mass screening of people before symptoms appear. It wants to make this portable screening technology a regular part of health checkups. The firm believes this technology can be used in places like workplaces, insurance health checks, and during mobile blood drives, vaccination campaigns, and other health programs.
Meanwhile, despite leveraging the benefits of AI tech, AIATELLA must have to face key challenges related to this rapidly growing technology, just like many other AI firms. For example, building trust among healthcare providers and patients, ensuring data privacy and security, and demonstrating the reliability and accuracy of its AI models in real-world clinical settings are crucial for the company. These factors are important for gaining acceptance among medical professionals and regulatory bodies. AIATELLA competes with other companies in the AI-based heart imaging space, including Ultromics, Cleerly, InformAI, and more.
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