Startup of the Day: Kardi AI, a Czech-based digital healthcare provider

Kardi AI, founded by Czech cardiologist Tomáš Skála and Stephen Burke, is a medtech startup aiming to revolutionize heart monitoring. In April 2025, Kardi AI raised €1.1M to boost its heart monitoring technology.

In the Startup of the Day column, Kardi AI’s team shares more details about the startup’s idea, its product, and future plans. 

The Startup of the Day column on AIN is dedicated to tech projects from all sectors that originate from the CEE countries. If you would like to introduce your project, please fill in the questionnaire.

Tell us about your startup. How does it work?

Kardi Ai is a certified medical device provider at the forefront of digital healthcare. We specialize in remote, non-invasive ECG monitoring and interpretation using advanced artificial intelligence. Our solution, comprising a clinical-grade fitness chest strap, mobile app, and cloud platform, enables precise and continuous heart rhythm analysis from anywhere. Kardi Ai detects seven types of heart arrhythmias, helping prevent life-threatening complications such as stroke, heart failure, or early dementia. In the Czech Republic alone, it has already detected over 230 critical heart rhythm disorders and helped save dozens of lives.

We provide continuous ECG monitoring – anytime, anywhere, for as long as needed, in a way that is both medically precise and user-friendly. Within five minutes after a completed recording, both the user and their physician receive a medically valid report, including detection of seven key heart arrhythmias. If undiagnosed, these arrhythmias can silently lead to severe health outcomes. Our goal is early detection and timely intervention to protect what matters most – people’s lives and long-term health.

How did you come up with the startup’s idea? What was the reason/motivation behind it?

The idea for Kardi Ai started during a casual conversation over a glass of wine between prof. Tomáš Skála, a leading cardiologist, and an American entrepreneur, Stephen Burke. They were discussing how hard and expensive it is to detect heart problems—especially arrhythmias that come and go and are often missed during short-term monitoring.

They asked themselves: what if people could monitor their heart health comfortably and over time using smart, accessible technology powered by AI?

That conversation sparked the idea for a pocket-sized ECG device with continuous monitoring and instant AI analysis. What started as a simple idea became a mission: to make heart care smarter, faster, and more preventive.

How long did it take to reach the prototype or MVP? What did you encounter?

We started working on the development and certification of Kardi Ai in 2022. From the beginning, our goal was to create a wearable ECG device and an app that uses AI to detect heart rhythm disorders—reliably and in real time.

The process involved not just building the technology, but also meeting strict medical certification requirements. That meant working closely with cardiologists, engineers, and regulatory experts to ensure both safety and clinical relevance.

When exactly did you launch your product? Or when the launch is planned?

We launched the product in Q3 2024 after completing development and securing medical certification. Right now, we’re finishing one more clinical trial, which is essential for expanding into new markets and strengthening our position with healthcare partners.

Tell us about the stratup’s business model. How do you monetize your product?

We operate on a subscription-based model, both in B2C and B2B.

In the B2C segment, users subscribe to our heart monitoring solution, which combines a simple sensor with an AI-powered app that tracks their heart health over time.

In the B2B segment, we collaborate with healthcare providers. In the Czech Republic, we’re already working with around 15 hospitals and over 130 cardiologists, who use our solution to monitor patients more effectively and save time in diagnostics. Our revenue comes entirely from subscriptions.

What are your target markets and consumers?

Our target markets are the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Poland, with plans to expand into other European regions and selected Asian countries where we already see interest.

We focus on consumers who:

• Are older adults or people already experiencing heart-related symptoms,

• Have risk factors such as chronic stress, poor sleep, unhealthy lifestyle, or family history of cardiovascular disease,

• Want to be proactive—people who care about prevention, track their health, or are physically active (including recreational athletes).

Our solution supports them in detecting hidden problems early, tracking their heart over time, and making smarter decisions about their health.

If the startup has already launched the product, what are the results: metrics, income, or any clear indicators that can be evaluated.

Since launching the product, we’ve reached over 2,200 paying users and built a medical network of more than 130 collaborating cardiologists. These numbers show both strong user demand and trust from healthcare professionals.

What about your team? How many people are working in the startup? If you’re looking for new employees, indicate whom exactly.

Our team currently has fewer than 10 people, covering key areas like product, development, sales, marketing, HR, quality assurance, support, and medical professionals. It’s a tight but highly focused team working closely across disciplines to deliver a medically reliable and user-friendly solution.

We plan to expand the team after completing our clinical trial and during international rollout, with upcoming hires likely in regulatory affairs, sales, and customer support.

Have you already raised any investments? Provide us with more details on each funding round: the amount, investors, the purpose of the investment.

€350,000 pre-Seed round;

€1.5M seed round;

€1.1M seed+ round;

What’s next? Tell us about your future plans.

Our next focus is on completing our clinical trial, which will support further validation and help unlock new markets.

We’re preparing for international expansion, starting with additional EU countries and selected Asian markets. That includes building partnerships with healthcare providers and insurers, and scaling our operations.

Product-wise, we’re working on enhancing our AI capabilities, adding new features for users and doctors, and improving the overall user experience.

As we grow, we’ll also strengthen our regulatory and sales teams to support larger-scale adoption.

Our long-term goal? To become a go-to solution for preventive heart care—globally accessible, medically trusted, and truly life-saving.