Health tech company Aktiia has secured an oversubscribed $42 million Series B funding round and rebranded as Hilo, positioning itself to transform blood pressure monitoring globally. The investment, which brings the company's total financing to over $100 million, was co-led by Earlybird Health and Wellington Partners, with participation from new and existing investors.
The funding announcement comes amid significant momentum for the company, which has developed an innovative cuffless blood pressure monitoring technology that works through mobile phone cameras. The investment will fuel product innovation, market expansion, and further development of its blood pressure intelligence platform.
Addressing a Global Health Crisis
Hypertension affects billions of people worldwide, yet only 20% of those affected have their blood pressure under control, according to Raghav "Rags" Gupta, CEO of Hilo. The company's technology aims to make blood pressure monitoring more accessible and convenient, potentially improving management of this critical health metric.
"This funding round is a testament to the confidence our investors have in Hilo's groundbreaking technology and our mission to manage the world's blood pressure via more frequent, convenient and accurate measurements," said Gupta. "Our rebrand to Hilo represents more than just a name change, it's a commitment to empowering users around the world with smarter tools to optimize their health."
Technology Built on Extensive Data
Hilo has developed a foundation Machine Learning model specifically designed for blood pressure monitoring. The model has been trained on tens of billions of optical signals from real-world users and refined with hundreds of millions of calibration points, establishing the company as a leader in the emerging cuffless blood pressure monitoring (CBPM) category.
With more than 120,000 devices sold, Hilo has already demonstrated market traction. The company has secured CE marking for its technology and obtained regulatory approvals in Canada, Australia, and Saudi Arabia. It has also completed a pivotal clinical trial ahead of its U.S. FDA application submission.
Investor Confidence in Medical-Grade Innovation
Christoph Massner, Principal at Earlybird Health, who will join Hilo's Board of Directors, highlighted the company's unique position: "Hilo stands at the intersection of medical-grade precision and consumer-centric accessibility. By building on a validated medical device platform and an intuitive, user-friendly design, they bridge the gap between clinical reliability and everyday usability."
Johannes Fischer, Managing Partner at Wellington Partners, added, "We believe that real-time and continuous access to blood pressure information will change the way we think about the monitoring and management of one of the most common risk factors to human health."
Company Background and Future Direction
Founded in 2018, Hilo (formerly Aktiia) has built a multidisciplinary team of experts with extensive experience in biomedical signal processing. The team has contributed to over 120 peer-reviewed publications and holds more than 35 patents.
Headquartered in Switzerland, the company has achieved 76% compounded annual revenue growth and continues to expand its global presence. The Series B funding will support Hilo's mission to transform how blood pressure is understood and managed worldwide.
The company emphasizes that while its system provides valuable monitoring capabilities, it is not intended to make diagnoses, and data should always be used in consultation with healthcare providers.
As hypertension remains one of the leading risk factors for death worldwide, Hilo's technology represents a significant advancement in the tools available for monitoring and managing this critical health condition.
