Eko, a San Francisco-based startup developing artificial intelligence for heart disease screening, telehealth and remote patient monitoring, closed a Series B funding round that included participation from Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic.
The $20 million funding, which also included contributions from ARTIS Ventures and 3M Ventures, among others, will go toward further research, development and commercialization of Eko’s cardiac screening and monitoring solutions. In its efforts to deepen its focus on clinical research, the company will increase its investment in collaborations with institutions such as Mayo Clinic, Chicago-based Northwestern Medicine and the University of California San Francisco.
At Mayo Clinic, for example, Eko is developing a machine learning algorithm to screen patients for low ejection fraction, a measure of bloodflow out of the heart that can indicate heart failure. Northwestern Medicine researchers, meanwhile, are collaborating with Eko to use AI to improve valvular heart disease screening.
The startup has also established partnerships with medical device and pharmaceutical companies to improve its combination of technology and traditional treatment for precision cardiac care. Among these innovative solutions are Eko’s cardiac monitor, which combines digital stethoscope and ECG technology for real-time monitoring both in the clinic and at home.