Kali Healthcare closes $1 million for its pregnancy monitoring wearable

Victoria’s Kali Healthcare has secured an additional $500,000 in pre-seed funding for its pregnancy monitoring wearable. This brings the total funding round to $1 million.

LaunchVic’s Alice Anderson Fund joined the previously existing round that had been led by the University of Melbourne back in March. The sidecar fund focuses on investing in early-stage rounds for women-led startups.

Kali Healthcare’s wearable and sensor patch is focused on enabling baby monitoring during pregnancy for regional and at-risk patients who don’t have as easy or safe access to clinics.

The device easily picks up the baby’s heart rate and enables the patient to move around freely, with the data being sent back to a clinic during telehealth consultations. Not only could this be critical for women who live far from a hospital or clinic, but for those who are on bed rest during their pregnancy.

The company has partnered with Victorian-based MedTech developer and manufacturer, Neo-Bionica, to help make the device a reality.

Kali Healthcare’s CEO, Dr Emerson Keenan, said that one of the company’s key drivers was developing a product that was actually made for pregnant people.

“The ultrasound was introduced in the 60s and it really hasn’t changed much. You can see looking at it that it was designed by someone who didn’t have to wear it,” Keenan said in a phone call with SmartCompany.

“It straps on the body, you recline in a hospital bed and there’s not really much consideration for the person actually being monitored. We’re hoping that what we’re doing can help enable the tech that works for women and works with people actually using it, not just someone reading a signal.”

Dr Keenan also says that in the last trimester of pregnancy, a lot of patients have to come in regularly for monitoring — sometimes several times a week — which can be tiring and in some cases, risky to the pregnancy when missed.

“Our system, which has this remote monitoring, means that instead of having to come in women can then take the device home, have some sensor patches at home, and have that monitoring going and the information sent remotely to their doctor. So it’s really freeing up their time and burden,” Dr Keenan said.

The idea is to sell the device directly to clinics that can rent it out to patients. The company is also considering the need for its device beyond those who can easily afford healthcare.

“Our ambition for this monitoring device is to be able to provide pregnancy care to women in remote and disadvantaged communities so all women can access the same level of care provided in metropolitan areas,” co-founder, Associate Professor Fiona Brownfoot, said.

Over the past few years, Kali Healthcare has conducted pilot clinical trials at Mercy Hospital for Women. It hopes that the pre-seed funding will help it to conduct its first regulatory clinical trial in early 2024 and be completed within two years. From there it will make a submission to the TGA for regulatory approval so it can bring the device to market.