Sparrow BioAcoustics Raises $10M to Accelerate U.S. Rollout of Smartphone-Based Cardiac AI
Newfoundland, Canada-based Sparrow BioAcoustics has raised $10 million in new funding to support the broader clinical rollout of its Stethophone cardiac AI platform in the United States. The round was led by Killick Capital and Klister Credit, with participation from Pelorus VC, 98827 Newfoundland & Labrador Inc., and Brinex Capital.
The Stethophone platform uses a smartphone’s microphone to capture heart sounds and analyze them for structural and rhythm abnormalities, eliminating the need for external medical hardware. The system has received FDA clearance and is now in use across multiple U.S. hospitals. “This round ensures we can scale responsibly through this critical phase, supporting hospitals and patients with the same focus on quality and outcomes that brought us here,” said CEO Mark Opauszky.
A study from the University of Washington Medical Center, recently published in the International Journal of Medical Science and Innovation Research, found the platform to be highly accurate in detecting valvular disease and atrial fibrillation. The authors noted “the system’s AI potential as a mechanism to revolutionize cardiac screening by employing widely available smartphone technology,” and said improved murmur detection may encourage earlier testing and intervention.
Clinical use continues to expand, with approximately 40,000 patients and providers using Stethophone over the past year. “The demand for practical, scalable screening for conditions such as aortic stenosis continues to grow rapidly, and the feedback from clinicians and patients has been overwhelmingly positive,” said Dr. Yaroslav Shpak, Chief Medical Officer and co-founder of Sparrow.
The company recently presented updates at the TCT Conference in San Francisco and plans to showcase the technology at the upcoming American Heart Association Scientific Sessions in New Orleans.
