Intel® Liftoff is nurturing HealthTech startups to leverage the full power of computer vision and generative AI to drastically improve patient outcomes, enhance real-time diagnostics, and create the health plans and novel interventions of the future.
CerebraAI
The Medical Dilemma
Conventional methods for diagnosing stroke are often inefficient and prone to delays due to the subjective interpretation of CT brain scans by human experts. Limited access to qualified neuroradiologists exacerbates this issue, leading to delays in treatment and suboptimal patient outcomes. There is a critical need for an advanced diagnostic solution that utilizes AI and computer vision to enhance stroke detection, streamline triage processes, and improve patient care.
The Remedy
CerebraAI was established in 2018 in collaboration with Stroke Centres in Almaty (Kazakhstan) to address the critical challenge of timely stroke diagnosis using advanced AI algorithms and computer vision. With a cloud-native platform accessible via web and mobile applications, CerebraAI's solution assists neurologists, radiologists, and neurosurgeons in detecting early signs of stroke from CT scans.
Utilizing AI algorithms, CerebraAI's triage system analyzes CT brain images to determine stroke presence, classify stroke type (hemorrhagic vs ischemic), pinpoint stroke location, quantify blood volume, and provide ASPECTS score. Currently serving 47 hospitals in Kazakhstan and 2 hospitals in Uzbekistan, CerebraAI already processes over 4000 CT brain images monthly, continuously enhancing its AI capabilities through annotated data.
CerebraAI’s existing modules include CT ASPECTS (for ischemic stroke), CT ICH (for hemorrhagic stroke), and CT HEATMAP (for brain hypodense areas).
Explaining the startup's journey in Intel Liftoff for Startups program, Doszhan, CerabraAI's CEO says:
“Intel@ Liftoff helped us to make inference optimizations to reduce needs in GPU. Previously, we only utilized models written in pytorch without any inference optimizations. With help from Intel engineers, within the framework of Intel@ Liftoff, we have optimized several models with Intel® OpenVINO toolkit inference to reduce GPU needs with little loss in speed.” - Doszhan Zhussupov, CEO & Co-Founder.
Meili Technologies
The Medical Dilemma
Driver health emergencies pose significant risks to road safety and operator well-being but existing vehicle safety measures do not adequately address timely detection and response. Industries reliant on fleet operations, such as trucking and telematics, require a robust, customizable solution capable of real-time monitoring and intervention for medical emergencies to mitigate accident risks, operational disruptions, and to ensure compliance with safety standards.
The Remedy
Meili Technologies specializes in monitoring drivers for health events using in-vehicle cameras. Their deep tech software detects driver health emergencies and automates interventions based on the vehicle's response capability, signaling to emergency medical services when necessary.
Meili’s software-only solution is sensor agnostic, allowing the system to work directly with original equipment manufacturers and suppliers to integrate with existing cabin hardware and customize these systems according to the equipment manufacturer’s needs.
Meili offers customizable solutions to ensure operator safety, mitigate the cost of damages, and surpass compliance standards in multiple industries, including trucking, telematics, driver monitoring systems, and machinery applications. With proprietary deep tech models and studies, the software detects driver health emergencies and implements intervention modes seamlessly. Additionally, the software can be easily integrated with existing DMS and video telematics solutions for comprehensive monitoring. Expanded applications employ computer vision methods to customize solutions for warehouse, factory, and industrial machinery applications, enhancing safety and productivity across diverse operational environments.
Epix AI
The Medical Dilemma
Existing health assessment methods lack comprehensive and personalized insights, often failing to empower individuals to proactively manage their health or accurately predict and prevent age-related diseases.
Traditional approaches fail to address the connection between biological aging and disease risk factors, limiting their effectiveness in promoting long-term wellness and disease prevention. As a result, there is a pressing need for a more advanced and accessible health assessment platform that integrates cutting-edge technologies to deliver real-time insights into individuals' biological age and disease susceptibility.
The Remedy
Epix AI directly addresses the need for intelligent health assessment combining epigenetic data and AI to measure biological age and assess the risk of specific age-related diseases. Using a saliva-based epigenetic test and proprietary AI algorithms, their platform delivers daily updates on an individual's rate of biological aging, incorporating data from wearable devices and geolocation.
With the potential to significantly extend individuals' health span by alerting them to specific age-related disease risks, Epix AI allows users to intervene and prevent disease onset.
Epix AI has conducted extensive R&D and in silico tests, leveraging data from open-source databases to train their algorithms and they are now exploring partnerships with insurance companies, wearable manufacturers, elder care homes, and HR departments in large corporations, positioning their platform as a retention tool for high-level executives. Additionally, they are considering participation in a NATO-backed research project to address the early retirement of military officials due to preventable diseases.
At the consumer level, Epix AI targets physically active individuals with a commitment to health optimization, as well as those experiencing health anxiety or those who are prone to chronic diseases, offering tailored solutions to minimize health risks and maximize wellness outcomes.
Snark Health
The Medical Dilemma
Traditional health insurance models in many countries present significant access limitations and barriers to affordable healthcare. This is detrimental to patients and healthcare providers alike. The reliance on complex insurance structures often results in financial burdens for patients and administrative challenges for providers, ultimately reducing the overall quality and accessibility of healthcare services. In response, there is a critical need for a transformative payment model that eliminates the constraints of traditional insurance, offering patients flexibility and affordability while ensuring fair compensation for healthcare providers.
The Remedy
Snark Health is pioneering a revolutionary approach to healthcare payment, eliminating the reliance on traditional health insurance models. Their innovative alternative payment model uses at-risk contracting, narrow networks, data assets, and their proprietary health savings digital asset, Hippocratic Coin® to allow payment for services on a sliding scale payment system, providing access to healthcare services at all levels down to a completely free service. Snark Health collaborates with doctors and helathcare providers to ensure fair compensation, with profits shared between patients, healthcare providers, and the company itself, depending on who has covered each healthcare transaction.
Hippocratic Coin®, Snark Health's groundbreaking digital asset, is designed not only to cover current healthcare costs but also to serve as a long-term solution for future expenses. It caters to individuals without health insurance while also acting as a bridge for those transitioning from commercial health insurance to government-based coverage. Through their pioneering approach, Snark Health is transforming the healthcare payment sphere, making quality healthcare accessible and affordable to all.
Key Takeaways
The featured startups are maximizing the capabilities of generative AI in imaging and automation, prioritizing accuracy, supplementing low expert availability, and ensuring positive patient outcomes in patient care. Intel® Liftoff for Startups plays a crucial role in fostering innovation for inspiring HealthTech startups by offering mentorship for early-stage development and testing, along with advanced infrastructure like the Intel® Developer Cloud, providing a cutting-edge environment. Apply to the Intel Liftoff program today.
I'm a proud team member of the Intel® Liftoff for Startups, an innovative, free virtual program dedicated to accelerating the growth of early-stage AI startups.