Neopenda has created life-saving technology.

Its device, neoGuard, helps nurses and doctors gain powerful insights into patient health, and enables them to provide timely treatment before vitals decline and turn deadly.

Led by a team of scientists and bioengineers from Columbia University, GSK, Medtronic, NYU, and Eli Lilly, Neopenda is backed by notable investors include Techstars, Cisco, and Wellcome Trust. After initially launching its technology in Africa eighteen months ago, this company grew sales 124% in the past year, and is ready to expand across a three-and-a-half billion-dollar market.

Each day, hospital patients die from causes that are preventable and treatable, simply because nurses and doctors are understaffed and overworked. They’re spread too thin and can’t provide adequate, timely treatment.

In top U.S. hospitals, the ratio of nurses to patients can be as low as 2:1. But in most places around the world, it’s much higher. In some emerging markets, it can be 20:1, or even more.

Recent studies show that an increase in the workload of a nurse by just one additional patient results in a sixteen-percent increase in the mortality rate for all patients.

Declining patient health can quickly turn critical, especially for young and vulnerable patients. Each year, more than thirty million newborns are admitted to hospitals in emerging markets, and more than two-and-a-half million die.

This is why Neopenda invented neoGuard, a vital-signs monitoring system to help doctors and nurses prioritize treatment.

Once a newborn is admitted to the hospital, a nurse assigns them a medical-grade wearable neoGuard device. This device continuously tracks four indicators that are crucial to patient health — pulse rate, oxygen saturation, respiratory rate, and temperature.

The neoGuard monitoring system aggregates data from all devices and provides the nurse with an overview of vital data in their ward. Additionally, sounds and visual cues from the device alert staff to a patient’s declining health before it becomes life-threatening. A built-in localization system provides a fast method for tracking down sick patients.

As mentioned, Neopenda launched its system in Africa, specifically Kenya. There, hospitals face frequent power outages, unsanitary conditions, and overcrowding that make traditional bulky patient monitoring systems impractical and unaffordable.

Neopenda offers an alternative. The company uses a land-and-expand business strategy, where hospitals buy an initial batch of five to ten neoGuards to test before committing to larger orders. Hospitals alone carry $175,000 in potential annual sales if devices are replaced every five years.

Neopenda has patented its technology. And the company has been recognized by the World Health Organization and United Nations.

While active in Kenya, Neopenda aims to expand to Nigeria, Uganda, Ghana, and Tanzania. In time, its goal is to cover the entire sub-saharan African region, which consists of forty-nine countries.

Next year, Neopenda aims to release neoCloud, which not only aggregates data from across its systems, but also supports clinics and hospitals in optimizing the efficiency of their practices. neoCloud will be offered as a subscription to unlock modules like dashboards, reports, and benchmarks.

In 2025, Neopenda projects to bring in around $500,000 in revenue. By 2030, revenue is projected to surpass fourteen million dollars.

Team Background

Teresa Cauvel - Co-Founder & CTO

Prior to starting Neopenda, Teresa worked as a graduate researcher in the Stem Cell Engineering lab at Columbia University.

She formerly served as a student contractor at BABEC, the Bay Area Biotechnology Education Consortium. This company enables students to perform biotechnology experiments.

Teresa earned a Bachelor’s degree in Bioengineering from Santa Clara University and a Master’s in Biomedical Engineering from Columbia University.

Sona Shah - Co-Founder & CEO

Before starting Neopenda, Sona worked as a graduate researcher in a bioengineering lab at Columbia University.

Prior to that, she served as an engineer at Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY), the global pharmaceutical company.

Throughout her career, Sona has volunteered with multiple organizations around the world, including Engineers Without Borders, Volunteers for Peace, and the Foundation for International Medical Relief of Children.

She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Georgia Tech and a Master’s in Biomedical Engineering from Columbia University.

Washington Dinga - Sales Manager

Washington has more than a dozen years of pharmaceutical sales experience.

Prior to joining Neopenda, he grew sales at GSK by thirty-five percent within his accounts, and grew sales at medical-device company Medtronic (NYSE: MDT).

Co-Investors

TechStars

Prominent accelerator for tech companies. Investments include Uber, ClassPass and Twilio.