Startup hopes to prevent deaths during pregnancy and childbirth
According to the World Health Organization, more than 2 million babies died in the first 20 days of their lives in 2022, accounting for about 6,500 deaths per day.
In addition, nearly 800 women died every day from “preventable causes” during pregnancy or childbirth in 2020, an “unacceptably high” number, the WHO said.
A Singapore-based startup, Biorithm, hopes to help solve the problem with a device that allows women to monitor their pregnancy at home, while a connected mobile app transmits information such as the baby's heart rate directly to doctors for review.
“Women’s Health [care] is designed to treat sick women, not stay healthy,” said Amrish Nair, chief technology officer and co-founder of Biorithm.
“We're trying to provide technology that puts the power back in the hands of women… It's no longer about the hospital, but about women having the opportunity to be treated at the place of their choice,” he told CNBC “CNBC Tech: The Edge.”
Biorithm's device, Femom, monitors both maternal and fetal heart rates and is designed to be easy to use, using the woman's navel as a guide for precise placement. It can be used during labor and provides doctors with information for intervention when necessary.
According to Sihem Tedjar, product development manager at Biorithm, monitoring takes about 20 to 30 minutes.
“It’s very easy to use for an untrained person or a non-health care professional, and that’s where the ease of use and all the design work lies,” Tedjar said. Femom's five electrodes detect electrical signals on the surface of the abdomen and transmit information to a dashboard that medical staff can access.
“This device response[s] “A very basic question for every parent: How well is my baby doing?” said Dr. Thiam Chye Tan, a startup mentor at Biorithm.
A “breakdown of maternal care”
Nair said in an online press release that there has been a “collapse in maternal care” due to socioeconomic factors and a lack of monitoring technology.
According to the WHO, almost 95% of maternal deaths in 2020 occurred in low- and middle-income countries. In 2016, the WHO sought to improve prenatal care and reduce the risk of pregnancy complications by issuing guidelines to increase the number of contacts a pregnant woman has with health care providers between the ages of four and eight.
According to Fortune Business Insights, the global medical device market is expected to grow from $542 billion in 2024 to $887 billion in 2032. Biorithm was spun out from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and Femom is in development and used in clinical research settings.
The Singapore government is investing heavily in its healthcare sector and in 2023, Biorithm raised $3.5 million in Series A funding from government agency Enterprise Singapore and Adaptive Capital Partners. The funds will be used to develop Femom and expand the company in the US and Southeast Asia.
“Women's health has always faced a very difficult funding situation. It has never been the hottest topic in medical technology,” Nair told CNBC.
“From the beginning we had funds that invested in us, and now there are funds run by women who invested in us,” he said.
“We're seeing the funding landscape evolving, and it's really encouraging for women's health. Although much more needs to be done, it is certainly a start,” said Nair.
