Pace Locator obtains CHF 150,000 Kick to enhance heartbeat visualization

Following the implantation of a pacemaker, 20% of patients will develop heart failure as a direct result of the electrical stimulations. There is currently no way for cardiologists to predict whether a patient will be one of these 20% until symptoms of heart failure are already present. 

Leveraging a decade of research at the Bern University of Applied Sciences, Pace Locator has developed software that generates 3D maps of cardiac signal origin from ECG and ECHO data to enable noninvasive, 3D visualization of the patient’s risk of developing pacing-induced heart failure. By addressing the risks from the beginning of pacemaker therapy, both cardiologists and patients benefit from more effective treatment and reduced long-term burden of the disease. 

Pace Locator will first offer heart failure risk assessments in a direct-to-patient model. With more than 3 million people living with pacemakers worldwide and more than 600 thousand new pacemakers implanted annually, Pace Locator evaluates its obtainable market at more than CHF 350 million. The usage of this innovative solution could represent estimated annual savings of CHF 7 billion for healthcare reimbursement groups, who pay significant amounts for annual treatment of pacing-induced heart failure. 

The will invest the secured CHF 150,000 from Venture Kick in a direct-to-patient customer outreach campaign and establish clinical trial partners for their planned international clinical study in 2025. 

The founding team consists of Emily Thompson, a biomedical engineer with expertise in MedTech Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs, and Bruno Stucki, an electrical engineer experienced in agile hardware and software development. “Our experience with Venture Kick was instrumental in refining our business model and «kicking» our idea into a realizable startup. With the help of Venture Kick, we were able to meet with many of our potential customers, verify our market implementation strategy and gain valuable feedback we needed to optimize our market potential,” commented Emily Thompson.