Santander start-up award is ‘validation’ for Heartfelt Technologies’ role in reducing hospital readmissions

Cambridge-based Heartfelt Technologies has acknowledged the “wonderful validation” of being a winning start-up in the Santander X Global Challenge.

The challenge, which recognises new and growing companies leveraging AI to help society overcome significant challenges, is organised by Santander, Microsoft and Oxentia Foundation. The winners were announced last week at a ceremony held in Microsoft’s Silicon Valley HQ, with Santander and Microsoft executives plus investors.

Six companies – three start-ups and three scale-ups – received awards in total, from 540 entrants in 11 countries.

The six winners will receive cash prizes worth up to €120,000 per start-up, and €30,000 per scale-up, and become members of Santander X 100, the bank’s global community of outstanding start-ups and scale-ups. Furthermore, the winners will have the opportunity to pitch to Microsoft’s Venture Capital.

Heartfelt Technologies is based on Cambridge Science Park. Founded in 2015, it has developed an in-home heart monitor designed to reduce patient readmission rates from congestive heart failure decompensation.

The device is a camera system which automatically captures cardiovascular information whenever the patient walks past the monitor, enabling patients and their families to conduct in-home monitoring and notify carers and medical professionals of hospitalisation.

Heartfelt Technologies CEO Shamus Husheer said: “Winning the award is wonderful validation of our approach to using AI to solve previously intractable healthcare problems, in particular around the long-term management of chronic conditions for patients who become overwhelmed by the complexity of their care plans.

The catalyst for Heartfelt’s inception was a cardiologist saying in 2015 that “half the people I operate on wouldn’t require surgery at all if they had reported their symptoms in time.” Since then, the company has developed three generations of its passive in-home cardiac monitoring technology, based on 3D imaging and edge-AI.

The first generation device was CE-marked in 2016 and the first clinical trials were undertaken in 2017-2018 at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London. The next generation of devices were deployed in patients’ homes for the first time in 2019, with 200 patients having the device in their home so far.

“We are now completing the third generation of our device, part-funded by InnovateUK Smart grant funding, and the US FDA are currently reviewing clinical trial protocol for a large US-based study,” added Shamus. “It is fantastic to see companies such as Microsoft and Santander recognising the importance of applying AI to socially important problems like this.”

Diego Calascibetta, global head of Entrepreneurship and Open Innovation at Santander Universities, said: “The cash prizes, resources and visibility the winners will get marks the beginning of a bountiful relationship with Santander.

“Also, working on this challenge with Microsoft gives entrepreneurs the opportunity to explain their projects and share their ideas, vision and talent with some of the world’s most qualified experts in artificial intelligence.”