Helping ICU teams to identify the most at-risk patients in real time

We saw an opportunity to build a software package that combined all a patient’s biomarkers, including lung and heart imaging, cardiovascular signals and blood tests. By then applying predictive learning and image and signal processing to this data, we could then give the medical teams the information they needed to determine the patient’s level of risk.

We developed the architecture and design so that the interface was user-friendly for the healthcare staff working at the coalface and then applied for a patent.

How did WNT Ventures help us?

There was an immediate synergy with the WNT team. They were very enthusiastic from the start, thought we had a great idea and said let’s make it happen. We talked to other VCs but it seemed they were looking to pigeonhole us.

WNT made us feel like we’re in this thing together. We liked their business ethos, the detail they brought to the due diligence process and their connections with government research. They have a broad portfolio in deep tech and their ecosystem is unlike any other in the market.

We’ve really benefitted from connecting with their other companies – even talking to the aerospace precision engineering teams gave us a different perspective on our approach to machine learning. WNT is very hands on. It’s my first go as a CEO and they’ve been patient teaching me the startup ropes.  Their bottom-up mentality of funding startups through to company growth has been exceptional. They’ve shared their vision of where they think we can go and we’ve worked together on startup admin, cap tables, sales paths, back-up plans and how to best navigate the ‘startup valley of death’.

They also leaned into a sideline piece of work we were doing to unbiase cardiovascular signal readings that were biased to skin type. Other VCs would’ve told us to stay on track with the main project but WNT agreed that it was important to correct for those inputs. Now it’s a big part of what we do. WNT have been incredibly supportive of this initiative – they recognise that engineering is hard.

What does the future hold?

We want to save Kiwi lives first before we go offshore and WNT is helping us with connections.  Auckland has the potential to become a global biotech hub as we’ve got a great set of universities, healthcare professionals with great ideas and space for entrepreneurs to be creative.