Sparrow BioAcoustics

Sparrow BioAcoustics' core offering is the Stethophone™, a software application that transforms a smartphone into a medical-grade stethoscope without needing additional hardware. By holding the phone to the chest, the app uses the device's internal microphone and patented bioacoustic technology to capture, process, and analyze heart and lung sounds. The technology aims to make diagnostics more accessible and affordable for both clinicians and the general public. The business model operates on making this technology available as a downloadable application, with a professional version, Stethophone™ PRO, targeted at healthcare practitioners for screening structural and rhythmic cardiac issues. This version, restricted for sale by or on the order of a licensed healthcare practitioner, provides advanced analysis and visualizations, such as spectrograms and oscillograms, to help identify conditions like valvular heart disease, arrhythmias, and cardiomyopathy.

The company achieved a significant milestone by receiving FDA 510(k) clearance in June 2023, designating the Stethophone™ as a Class II medical device. It has also been approved by Health Canada. To fund its research, development, and market expansion, Sparrow BioAcoustics secured a total of $13 million in seed financing, led by Killick Capital, Klister Credit, and Pelorus Ventures. The company is actively developing artificial intelligence models, trained on an extensive databank of heart sounds, to enhance diagnostic accuracy and detect subtle sound variations indicative of heart disease. The technology has been piloted in Ukraine and is available for use in the US and Canada, with plans for global expansion.