Startup Of The Week : Kardi Ai

This spotlight features Kardi Ai, a health-tech startup revolutionizing how heart conditions are monitored and diagnosed. Their remote, AI-powered ECG technology offers near real-time cardiac insights from anywhere in the world — helping detect arrhythmias early and prevent life-threatening conditions.

1. Tell us about your company. 

Vlastimil Hrabal: Kardi Ai is a cutting-edge health technology startup focused on long-term, remote ECG monitoring and early detection of heart arrhythmias. Anytime, anywhere. If heart arrhythmias go undetected, they can lead to stroke, heart failure, or even the early onset of dementia. CVD are the biggest killer in the world.  

Our solution enables near real-time, non-invasive ECG measurement, with AI-powered evaluation delivered within 5 minutes. We work with real ECG signals, and our system is certified as a Class IIa medical device under EU MDR. This means that doctors can confidently base their decisions on our results. 

Long-term ECG monitoring with our system shows nearly 6x higher detection rates compared to traditional 24-hour Holter monitoring, based on data from over 2,300 users. 

2. What made you become an entrepreneur? 

Kardi Ai was founded by four individuals united by a shared mission: to solve a deeply meaningful problem that directly impacts-and can even save-people’s lives. 

One of our co-founders is a patient who personally understands the importance of early diagnosis, while another is a professor of cardiology working at a university hospital in the Czech Republic. We believed that ECG monitoring should be more accessible, and with the power of AI, we set out to build a solution that could help detect heart risks early - and potentially save millions of lives. 

3. What is the most challenging part of running your own startup? 

The hardest part is balancing vision with execution. It’s one thing to be passionate about your idea, but bringing it to life requires constant decision-making, hands-on work, tight budgets, changing regulations, and adapting to market shifts - often all at once. 

As a startup CEO, you're wearing multiple hats. Keeping the team motivated while staying laser-focused on long-term goals can be both mentally and emotionally demanding. 

4. What is the biggest challenge you have faced when looking for funding? 

The biggest challenge has been aligning investor expectations with the unique realities of health-tech innovation, especially in the EU. 

For example, we needed to obtain medical certification before we could generate revenue, which took us 2.5 years. Without certification, monetization is almost impossible - so we had to find investors with a long-term mindset, who believed in our vision and were willing to support us through the early phases. We’re incredibly grateful that we found those investors. 

5. What is the most rewarding aspect of entrepreneurship? 

Without a doubt, it's the impact. 

Knowing that something we’ve built can save lives or empower people to take control of their health is incredibly fulfilling. Every time we hear from a user who discovered a heart condition early, or improved their health thanks to Kardi Ai, it reaffirms our purpose. 

The ability to turn an idea into a real-world solution that changes lives - that’s the true reward of entrepreneurship. 

Learn more about the company: https://kardi.ai/