For many, ECG exams can be a true lifesaver, however often by the time your doctor gets you the test, it could be too late and a heart condition may have already developed. Although, sometimes where doctors fail, technology helps pick up the slack. Israeli startup CardiacSense, which developed easy ECG testing and other vital sign measurements all in a wearable smart-watch, just added a $6 million investment to the company’s piggy bank.

What about the Apple Watch?

CardiacSense’s watch monitors crucial vital signs from our bodies, actively monitoring our body’s vitals, like our pulse, temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, and more. Though, possibly most importantly, the watch monitors for irregular heartbeats that could potentially lead to strokes, cardiac arrest as well as other life-threatening conditions. If an irregularity is detected the smart-device can then alert medical personnel to the underlying issue, who then call-in the patient for early and preemptive treatment, possibly saving them from an expensive hospitalization down the line.

While talking with Geektime, founder and CEO, Eldad Shemesh explains that over the last year the company upgraded the user interface as well as integrating it onto a cloud network, making it easier for users to manage their vital signs from any device, from anywhere.

It’s not just us who think the ECG smart-watch is a good idea. The company, which is planning to have its product hit markets in October, reported a pretty hefty global distributing deal worth tens of millions of dollars in South America, Europe, India, and Australia. Additionally, the company plans to put those freshly invested funds to work, expanding product development, adding additional vital-sign measurements, further continuing trials, as well as putting those funds towards the upcoming product launch.

Despite the excitement that comes from the potential futuristic preemptive medical watch, it’s hard not to bring up the elephant in the room and remember that the Apple Watch also offers an ECG exam feature. This turns us back to a 2019 interview with CardiacSense’s CEO, who notes that the Apple Watch is not defined as a medical device, and its accuracy level stands at only 67%, while the Israeli startup’s watch offers a continuous measurement to go along with a 99.6% accuracy level. Nowadays, Shemesh has a more clear thought on the matter: “We have great respect for Apple, even though we’re not even in the same category. Our technology provides widespread medical vital measurements, while Apple’s device is more focused on working out and sport.”

Shemesh further adds that even though the latest funding round was completed during the height of the COVID-19 crisis, he claims that in these times more than ever, this product is necessary and a solid path to success: “We arrived with the right product at the right time. Especially, in a time like this, remote medical devices are at an all-time high demand and just make more sense. With $60 million in investments and an FDA approval in its latter stages, people understood the immense potential and we were able to quickly lock down the deal despite the uncertainty of the crisis.”