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Industry Innovator
Cardiolife
A Pioneering Start Up in Cardiology
Cardiolife are having a profound impact on the lives of patients by revolutionising cardiac healthcare through the innovative application of deep neural networks and AI-driven analytics to electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretation, a great step forward for diagnostics.
Launched in 2021, this exciting start-up company combines the founders’ technical expertise in computer science, medical practice, and serial entrepreneurship to address heart disease, which is the leading cause of death globally. By delivering fast and accurate ECG reports, Cardiolife’s platform optimises clinical workflows, reduces costs, and improves patient outcomes across hospitals and clinics.
99%
Balanced Accuracy
32
Diagnosis
5
Metrics
Technology and Medicine: A Collaboration with a Bold Vision and Big Impact
Cardiolife was co-founded by João Neto and Odd Harald Hauge, whose shared passion for technology and medicine drove them to tackle critical gaps in cardiac diagnostics. João’s father was a pioneering cardiac surgeon in Portugal, having specialised early in his career at a world-class centre in São Paulo, Brazil, so cardiac care has always been a passion within his family.
However, João, who is now CTO at Cardiolife, actually began his career as a computer engineer, and when deep neural networks achieved human-level performance in complex pattern recognition, he realised its potential for interpreting ECG signals.
Odd Harald has over 30 years of experience building and scaling tech ventures across Norway, Europe, and the U.S, and uses this to provide expert leadership and market insight. His impressive portfolio includes ventures such as SmartRetur, NEXT Biometrics, Instabank ASA, Nanopower AS, and Andium.
They then attracted investor António Murta, who’s European MedTech fund provided financial support and industry connections, and joined Cardiolife alongside Chief Medical Officer João Guimarães, a cardiologist with extensive experience in both the public and private healthcare sectors and a pioneer within telemedicine in cardiology. This allowed Cardiolife to grow its research and commercial capabilities.
In 2022, Kristin Lied joined the business as CEO, bringing a wealth of strategic experience, with Cardiolife now under Kristin Lied’s guidance, the founding team emphasises a partnership-driven approach of working with cardiologists, for cardiologists. This means every feature reflects real-world clinical needs and complies with strict medical regulations, resulting in a platform that performs at industry-leading levels and integrates seamlessly into hospitals and clinics.
Key Challenges in Cardiac Diagnostics
Strained Medical Resources in Cardiology
Medical resources are under pressure, facing many barriers and across cardiology, resources are stretched. Cardiolife as a business, aims to tackle some of the most significant challenges within cardiac care - diagnosis and treatment.
Time and Cost Burden of ECG Interpretation
Interpreting long-term ECGs takes up physicians’ valuable time that could be allocated to patient consultations and healthcare plans. The personnel required for manually interpreting ECG readings also increases costs significantly.
Inconsistencies in ECG Interpretation
Another issue Cardiolife are tackling is the inconsistency of ECG interpretation. Diagnostic accuracy can vary considerably, with even expert cardiologists achieving an accuracy rate of only around 87.5% at best, and GPs averaging 68.5%. This variability leads to inconsistent results and can impact the reliability of diagnoses.
Cardiolife's AI-Powered Solutions
To effectively address these critical challenges, Cardiolife offers an AI-powered software that automates the analysis of both short-term (resting) and long-term (Holter) ECG recordings.
The system is built on a deep learning engine trained with 2 million ECG exams, each reviewed and refined by world-class cardiologists to ensure data quality. This AI engine operates as a “living model” that continuously refines itself, with each new ECG processed and every clinical correction received further improving its analytical capabilities.
Cardiolife's software offers remarkable speed, with the analysis and reporting process completed in seconds, significantly reducing the time and cost associated with manual ECG interpretation, particularly for long-term Holter monitors. This rapid turnaround enables quicker and better diagnostics for more patients.
Another key component of Cardiolife's solution is its ease of use. The software is designed to be vendor-neutral, meaning it is capable of reading ECGs from any standard device used in hospitals or medical centres. It also integrates seamlessly with existing hospital systems, either through secure cloud connectivity or a specific on-site API.
Developed in close collaboration with cardiologists, the software's interface is highly intuitive and matches their existing workflows. This reduces the need for additional training and allows hospitals and clinics to adopt the software quickly and easily.
Future Goals and New Partnerships
Cardiolife's key goals for the next year focus on expansion, regulatory clearance, and further product development. A key aim is achieving FDA certification to allow access to the U.S. market and confirm the platform's safety and effectiveness according to the highest regulatory standards.
The company is also forming partnerships with vendors that don't currently possess AI capabilities, with the aim of integrating its software directly into their ECG monitors to provide hospitals with ready-to-use AI-powered devices.
Further into the future, Cardiolife aims to play a role in predictive and preventive cardiac care and also expand geographically. This will allow doctors to identify at-risk patients earlier and monitor them more effectively, potentially preventing cardiac issues and saving patients’ lives.
By expanding globally, more healthcare professionals and patients will benefit from Cardiolife's advanced AI, leading to significant improvements in cardiac care and substantial growth for the company.
Culture, Diversity and Values
With 14 employees distributed across various locations, Cardiolife prides itself on a multicultural, inclusive, and collaborative culture made possible by its successful hybrid business model. The company’s core values guide everyday actions:
"Here to save lives"
They have a common goal of enhancing patient care and outcomes.
"We are pioneers"
They challenge the status quo, pushing to transform cardiac care.
"We are able to win it"
They are competitive and driven to lead the future of AI-powered cardiology.
"We are a team"
They support each other, share knowledge, and enjoy the journey together.
An Inclusive and Innovative Environment Invested in Continuous Development
Diversity and inclusion are embedded in Cardiolife’s hiring and development practices, with team members representing varied ethnic backgrounds, genders, and experience levels. This creates a rich variety of ideas and perspectives, which is crucial for innovation in the medical technology space.
Cardiolife understands that in the fast-evolving industries of AI and medical tech, consistent learning and development is crucial. Because of this, they look to hire professionals who are eager to learn, grow, and take on responsibility.
Cardiolife’s leaders consider it mandatory for their team to develop into new roles and prioritise ongoing training to meet their ambitious goals. They enjoy seeing their employees advance and expand their skills, highlighting their commitment to continuously innovating through learning and development. There are also many evolving regulatory requirements to keep up with, so it’s important to make sure the team remains knowledgeable and compliant with the latest standards.
There are a lot of highs and lows as a startup. The highs are the joy of creating something meaningful, being driven by a clear mission, and witnessing the true potential of our developing technology. Those breakthrough moments are truly rewarding. On the other hand, the lows involve constantly striving to solve problems, which inevitably brings new hurdles. Sometimes, we don't pause enough to celebrate each milestone. Facing obstacles with limited resources is tough, and so is making important decisions without complete information. We're constantly learning and trying to find the right path, so we need to move quickly to stay ahead, even without all the answers. Naturally, not everything goes according to plan, and sometimes you have to improvise. Ultimately, though, we all believe the highs are greater than the lows.
Be part of the journey...
Cardiolife continues to experience an exciting period of growth and development, if you're interested in hearing more about Cardiolife plans for the future and potential opportunities to join them on their journey as a partner or employee, please get in touch.