Cardiogram

Cardiogram is a digital health company that transforms consumer wearables into personal healthcare monitors through its sophisticated mobile application. Founded in 2016 by former Google engineers Brandon Ballinger and Johnson Hsieh, the company leverages their extensive backgrounds in large-scale data systems and machine learning to address preventive medicine. The founders' journey combines deep technical expertise from roles at Google, Microsoft, and the Healthcare.gov rescue team with a focus on applying data for social good. This unique blend of experience led them to pioneer methods for detecting serious health conditions using readily available wearable technology.

The company's core business revolves around its mobile app, which is compatible with a wide range of devices including Apple Watch, Fitbit, Garmin, and Wear OS by Google. Cardiogram utilizes a deep learning neural network, called DeepHeart, to analyze continuous heart rate and step count data from these devices. This analysis enables the detection of patterns associated with several significant medical conditions, such as atrial fibrillation, sleep apnea, hypertension, and diabetes, with high accuracy demonstrated in clinical studies with UCSF Cardiology. The business operates on a freemium model; the base application is free, while a premium subscription unlocks advanced features like personalized health insights, detailed data sharing with physicians, and family monitoring capabilities. This subscription model serves as the primary revenue stream.

In October 2016, Cardiogram secured $2 million in a seed funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz, with participation from other investors like Homebrew and several angel investors. This investment fueled product development and the expansion of its device compatibility. The company's trajectory culminated in its acquisition by ilumivu, a healthcare technology platform, on October 24, 2021. This strategic move was designed to integrate Cardiogram's advanced monitoring technology into ilumivu's broader platform for personalized decision support in healthcare, aiming to expand its reach and impact across a wider population.

Keywords: heart rate monitoring, digital health, wearable technology, preventive medicine, machine learning, atrial fibrillation detection, deep learning, mobile health app, remote patient monitoring, health data analytics