PulseFlow Technologies Secures Tens of Millions in Series A Funding to Advance AI-Driven Cardiovascular Diagnostic Solutions

On September 4, VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) learned that Hangzhou ArteryFlow Technology Co., Ltd., a leader in intelligent diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, announced the completion of its Series A financing round, raising tens of millions of RMB. The round was led by Chongqing Dianshi Chuangjian Equity Investment Fund Management Co., Ltd. Xiang Jianping, CEO of ArteryFlow Technology, stated that the proceeds would be primarily allocated to new product development, team expansion, and clinical promotion.

ArteryFlow Technology, founded in 2017 and headquartered in Hangzhou, is a technology company that leverages medical big data, computational simulation, and artificial intelligence to provide precise and personalized healthcare for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Its core R&D team includes more than ten PhDs and master’s graduates from top overseas universities such as MIT and Imperial College London, with over a decade of R&D experience in computational simulation, deep learning, and image processing.

(Introduction to ArteryFlow Technology)

The company provides comprehensive solutions for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, with products covering screening, testing, diagnostic surgical planning, and high-value consumables. Among these are the three major products for coronary functional assessment, AccuFFR^®ct、AccuFFR^®Angio and AccuFFR^®IVUS and the AI-based ECG interpretation system DeepECG^®It has already entered clinical application. Furthermore, ArteryFlow Technology has jointly developed seven case systems with CTO Old Partner, enabling the recording and sharing of cardiac surgery cases anytime and anywhere.

Xiang Jianping told VCBeat, “I completed my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Engineering Mechanics at Tianjin University. In 2007, I went to the United States to pursue a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, while concurrently conducting research and studies at the Gates Vascular Institute (GVI). Founded by Dr. L. Nelson Hopkins III, widely regarded as the father of neurointerventional medicine, GVI is a world-leading center for interventional procedures. The institute not only integrates neurointerventional, cardiovascular, and peripheral vascular interventions but also seamlessly combines clinical practice and research within a single facility, thereby fostering in-depth exchange and collaboration between clinicians and scientists and sparking innovation.”

As stated by Professor Adnan Siddiqui, Xiang Jianping’s clinical mentor, CMO of the GVI Center, and Director of the Toshiba Stroke and Vascular Research Center, “You won’t find anything like this anywhere else on the planet.”

Xiang Jianping stated that during his time in the United States, he published 100 academic papers in the field of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular hemodynamics. “The top two most-cited papers in this field were both authored by me,” Xiang told VCBeat.

“Drawing on a decade of research experience in the United States, I returned to China three years ago to launch my second startup. I have assembled a team of like-minded individuals to drive innovation in intelligent diagnosis and treatment for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. My first venture focused on high-value consumables for stroke care,” said Xiang Jianping.

Regarding the reasons for the company’s successful fundraising, Xiang Jianping stated that it was primarily based on the company’s three major advantages.

1. Professional Technical Team: ArteryFlow Technology boasts a team with extensive experience in computational simulation, artificial intelligence, and medical imaging. The team possesses profound technical expertise and comprises many multidisciplinary professionals who not only master advanced technologies but also have a deep understanding of clinical practices, which is crucial for successful clinical applications.

II. In-depth Clinical Collaboration: The ArteryFlow team has decades of experience in deep collaboration with clinicians both domestically and internationally, currently maintaining close partnerships with over one hundred cardiovascular and cerebrovascular hospitals in China and abroad. For instance, in the past year alone, ArteryFlow Technology and Huashan Hospital have jointly published more than ten SCI-indexed academic papers.

3. Massive Medical Data: Medical data serves as the foundation for deep learning in medicine. Through in-depth collaborations with over a hundred hospitals, ArteryFlow Technology has accumulated extensive clinical and imaging data, ensuring robust training and validation of deep learning models.

Xiang Jianping stated that ArteryFlow Technology’s product line covers the entire diagnosis and treatment workflow for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, including screening, diagnosis, surgical planning, and high-value consumables.

Currently, the company has launched ArteryFlow.^®Cloud platform, featuring AccuFFR^®CT (Non-invasive FFR Analysis System for Coronary CT), AccuFFR^®Angio (wire-free FFR analysis system for coronary angiography), AccuFFR^®IVUS (FFR analysis system based on intravascular ultrasound), AneuFlow^®(Auxiliary Diagnostic System for Cerebral Aneurysms), DeepECG^®(Intelligent ECG Analysis System) and other products have completed development, entered clinical application, and are currently being promoted to the market.

According to Xiang Jianping, FFR is the gold standard for guiding the treatment of ischemic coronary heart disease, but its invasiveness and high cost have limited its large-scale clinical application. AccuFFR, a non-invasive FFR analysis system for coronary CT developed by ArteryFlow Technology^®CT: Automatic segmentation and extraction of coronary CT angiography images based on deep learning methods; AccuFFR based on the 3D structure reconstructed from coronary CTA^®CT utilizes proprietary intelligent computational fluid dynamics technology, completing blood flow calculations for the entire coronary artery tree within 5 minutes; integrated with ArteryFlow Technology’s high-speed cloud platform system, it achieves rapid and accurate non-invasive FFR computation.

“Truly achieving non-invasive, efficient, precise, cost-effective, and drug-free solutions,” said Xiang Jianping. He pointed out that AccuFFR^®The advent of the angio-based functional analysis system for coronary angiography has ushered in a wire-free era for FFR measurement. Furthermore, ArteryFlow Technology’s proprietary AccuFFR^®IVUS can simultaneously obtain functional indices during IVUS measurements.

Xiang Jianping told VCBeat that they will comprehensively showcase the company’s products at the 13th Qianjiang International Cardiovascular Conference from September 6 to 8. At the conference, ArteryFlow Technology will not only launch AccuFFR^®CT and AccuFFR^®Clinical outcomes of angio, alongside the unveiling of multiple new products.

“Our AI ECG Recognition DeepECG^®The AI-powered online ECG analysis system will be featured as Breaking News at the CTO Old Friends session, with a live demonstration of DeepECG.^®accuracy. Meanwhile, ArteryFlow Technology will launch seven medical record systems developed in deep collaboration with CTO Lao Huoji, enabling the recording and sharing of cardiac surgery cases anytime, anywhere,” said Xiang Jianping proudly.

AI-Powered ECG Interpretation: DeepECG^®The system is an intelligent analysis platform based on 12-lead electrocardiograms (ECGs). By simply capturing a single ECG image, the system utilizes artificial intelligence algorithms to identify abnormalities and rapidly generate predictive assessments, thereby enabling effective preliminary screening for cardiac diseases in patients.

DeepECG^®“By leveraging artificial intelligence technology and conducting deep learning on millions of sample datasets using our proprietary algorithmic models, we have developed precise and efficient predictive capabilities, achieving a 97% accuracy rate in arrhythmia analysis. This significantly improves the efficiency of ECG interpretation for both physicians and patients. ‘This product addresses the drawbacks of traditional photo-based image transmission, such as poor clarity and difficulty in reading, thereby bringing convenience to both patients and doctors,’ explained Xiang Jianping.”

Old Pal CTO—ArteryFlow Technology’s Seven Major Case Record Systems is an integrated mini-program application featuring functionalities for recording, managing, and communicating medical case records. Leveraging the “Old Pal CTO Platform,” this system encompasses specialized modules including the B-CTO Scoring System, Rotational Atherectomy Case Record System, Drug-Coated Balloon (DCB) Case Record System, Emergency PCI Case Record System, Bifurcation Case Record System, Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR) Case Record System, and Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS) Case Record System.

“To date, this product has attracted over 1,000 physician users. It serves as an excellent online tool for clinicians. Previously, doctors discussed cases in WeChat groups by sharing photos and videos; this product makes case discussions and sharing more standardized and convenient,” said Xiang Jianping.

The “CTO Old Partner” platform is an Internet-based mobile application designed as a medical record documentation software for physicians. This software was jointly developed by the CTO Old Partner team and the ArteryFlow Technology team.

“At the Qianjiang International Cardiovascular Disease Conference, ArteryFlow Technology’s products were not only launched and showcased at the CTO Veterans’ Special Session; furthermore, at the CTO Veterans’–ArteryFlow Technology Artificial Intelligence Special Exchange Meeting on September 8, ArteryFlow Technology will provide a more detailed interpretation of the application of artificial intelligence in cardiovascular diseases,” said Xiang Jianping.

He revealed that the exchange event also invited prominent figures in the field of artificial intelligence applications, including Nick Zhang, Chairman of Wuzhen Institute and author of the bestselling book *A Brief History of Artificial Intelligence*; Sun Zhe, CEO of Yidu Cloud; Wu Xiaopeng, President of Japan’s Hawkie; and Dr. Huang Lingyun, Technical Director of Ping An Technology.

In this special session, ArteryFlow Technology also invited and gathered manufacturers from the industry that specialize in different types of coronary functional assessments. Whether it is interventional FFR guidewires, CT-based non-invasive FFR systems, angiography-based wire-free FFR systems, or intravascular ultrasound (IVUS)-based FFR systems, participants joined clinical physicians in discussing how various FFR technologies can better serve clinicians and patients.

Regarding this financing round, Zhang Minglong, Deputy General Manager of Dianshi Chuangjian, stated that the investment was driven by consideration and recognition of ArteryFlow Technology’s innovative R&D achievements in the field of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

Currently, the market potential in the fields of artificial intelligence and cardiovascular-cerebrovascular health is enormous. ArteryFlow Technology excels in both areas, having successfully developed products that meet market demands and boasting a mature product pipeline. Furthermore, with a strong R&D team and leading technological capabilities, ArteryFlow Technology is a company that truly prioritizes innovation.

Finally, Xiang Jianping disclosed to VCBeat that ArteryFlow Technology is currently undergoing a new round of financing. Meanwhile, ArteryFlow Technology is also engaging more clinicians to join its collaborative efforts, committed to leveraging technology to better serve patients.