A staggering 47 percent of Americans have hypertension or high blood pressure, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While blood pressure naturally goes up and down throughout the day, consistent high blood pressure can damage your heart and cause other health problems. In fact, high blood pressure is the leading risk factor for heart disease, stroke and heart attacks. That’s why monitoring your blood pressure is important, particularly if yours tends to run high or you’ve been diagnosed with hypertension.
One company is making it easier for those with hypertension to keep an eye on blood pressure and take steps to manage it. Hello Heart, which closed a $70 million Series D on Monday, is a smart heart monitor that easily pairs with a mobile app. Approved by the FDA, Hello Heart uses AI to give users real-time data about their blood pressure and alert them when it rises too high. The app also makes suggestions for how to manage one’s high blood pressure through easy-to-implement lifestyle changes.
“Everyone has a family member or colleague that is affected by heart disease. We empower people to understand, manage and self-improve their heart health using the app technology and behavioral science,” Hello Heart co-founder and CEO Maayan Cohen said in a statement. “We make it easy for employers to work with Hello Heart, and it just works. We are thrilled to be working with so many of the nation’s leading employers as they empower their employees to make smart and healthy choices.”
Users can get a free monitor through participating employers or health insurance providers who supplement the cost of the monitor. According to a JAMA Network study conducted by the University of California San Francisco in partnership with Hello Heart, 86 percent of Hello Heart users with stage 2 hypertension were able to reduce their blood pressure in just one year. Another independent report found that Hello Heart saved employers $1,865 in health care costs between 2017 and 2020.
The recent funding round was led by growth equity firm Stripes and will be used to support the Hello Heart’s rapid growth in customer demand. The company has offices in Tel Aviv as well as Menlo Park, and is currently hiring for positions at both offices and remotely.
