AIKON Health in the Netherlands Raises €1.2M in Funding

Key Takeaways

AIKON Health has raised €1.2M in seed funding for its heart failure management wearable technology.
The funding will be used to accelerate product development and seek FDA approval.
AIKON’s technology aims to reduce hospital readmissions for heart failure patients by at least 25 percent.

AIKON Health Secures Funding for Innovative Wearable Technology

Eindhoven-based AIKON Health, a digital health startup focused on personalized heart failure management, has successfully raised €1.2 million in seed funding led by the TTT Medtech fund. Notable participants in this funding round include the Brabant Development Agency (BOM), Brabant Startup Fonds (BSF), Rabo Innovation Loan (RIL), and TNO Ventures.

Harm de Vries, Director of TTT Medtech, emphasized that AIKON Health represents a pivotal example of how advanced research at TNO translates into impactful medical technology. Their wearable device for heart failure monitoring is designed to enhance patient care by enabling clinicians to monitor patients remotely, thereby reducing the need for frequent hospital visits. Albertien Greijdanus, Senior Investment Manager at BOM, remarked on the urgent need for continuous monitoring as patients transition from hospitals to home care. Her enthusiasm for AIKON’s solution reflects its potential to yield earlier interventions and diminish hospital readmissions.

Founded in 2023 by Thiru Kanagasabapathi as a spin-off from TNO, AIKON Health aims to address the critical issue of heart failure, which impacts over 15 million people in Europe. In the Netherlands alone, approximately 30,000 heart failure admissions occur each year, resulting in over €800 million in avoidable healthcare costs due to inadequate monitoring.

AIKON’s wearable device employs dry electrode technology to facilitate continuous health monitoring from the comfort of patients’ homes. This technology allows healthcare professionals to make informed decisions without needing frequent outpatient visits. The device features stretchable skin patches, developed from medical-grade materials and advanced printed electronics, to deliver a reliable solution in remote patient monitoring.

Looking ahead, AIKON Health plans to use the new funding to fast-track product development and secure FDA approval, targeting entry into both European and American markets. The company is investing primarily in its modular wearable solution, featuring a chest sensor and an arm sensor that enable continuous monitoring of heart failure patients. CEO Thiru Kanagasabapathi highlighted the critical importance of this support, recognizing it as a vital step toward FDA approval and an ambitious goal for the company just years after its inception.

AIKON Health is committed to reducing hospital readmissions among heart failure patients by at least 25 percent, directly addressing a significant challenge in healthcare. This startup embodies TNO Ventures’ mission to expedite the transition of groundbreaking technologies from the laboratory to the marketplace, thus fortifying the Netherlands’ innovation ecosystem.

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