How AiSteth is reinventing screening for valvular heart disorders in india's rural clinics

AI-powered stethoscope AiSteth brings early heart diagnosis to rural India, tackling the cardiologist shortage with smart screening tools.

May 12, 2025 - 15:04

How AiSteth is reinventing screening for valvular heart disorders in india's rural clinics

In India, where cardiovascular diseases are among the leading causes of premature death, access to early diagnosis remains out of reach for large parts of the population. Especially in rural and semi-urban areas, the gap between patients and specialists is vast—exacerbated by a severe shortage of cardiologists. Bengaluru-based medtech startup Ai Health Highway, through its AI-powered stethoscope AiSteth, aims to bridge this divide.

Founded in 2019 by Dr (Maj) Satish Jeevannavar, a physician and former Army officer and Ashwin C – Co Founder, Director (IÉSEG School of Management MIB, France) BD & Operations, the startup is leveraging machine learning and signal processing to help frontline healthcare workers detect heart and lung anomalies early—democratizing care where it’s needed most.

From Army Doctor to MedTech Innovator

Dr. Satish’s path to entrepreneurship was shaped by diverse experiences across the Indian Army, corporate sector, and early-stage startups. An alumnus of IIM Bangalore, his drive to create a global brand from India found shape in AiSteth. The inspiration? A striking parallel between cricket and cardiology. Just as the “Snickometer” transformed umpiring decisions by detecting subtle bat-ball contact, Dr. Satish saw potential in using sound signature analysis to eliminate subjectivity in heart and lung diagnostics.

A Diagnostic Bottleneck in Heart Health

India has over 1.4 billion people but only around 5,500 cardiologists. The gold standard test for heart valve disorders—an echocardiogram—requires 30–45 minutes, specialized infrastructure, and trained personnel. For the 60–70% of Indians living outside urban hubs, this often means the diagnosis comes too late, if at all. This missed opportunity in early detection contributes heavily to the country’s high rate of preventable cardiac deaths.

AiSteth—AI-Powered Sound Interpretation

AiSteth is a smart stethoscope designed to screen, detect, and predict heart and lung conditions. It combines three layers of innovation:

Hardware: A stethoscope that records 30–60 seconds of sound and streams it to a smartphone via Bluetooth.
Software: A mobile app that visualizes the recorded acoustics as patterns for clinical interpretation.
AI Layer: Proprietary machine learning models that analyze these patterns to flag anomalies, particularly heart murmurs.

Its key platform, AsMAP (AiSteth Murmur Analysis Platform), equips frontline health workers to identify potential valvular disorders right at primary care clinics—enabling earlier specialist referral and intervention.

Business Model and Revenue Strategy

Ai Health Highway operates on a hybrid revenue model designed to ensure both accessibility and scalability across diverse healthcare settings:

Device Sales: The AiSteth smart stethoscope is priced at ₹24,999, offering a one-time hardware solution for clinics and hospitals.
Annual App Subscriptions: Users pay ₹2,500 per year for access to the mobile application, which enables acoustic analysis and AI-powered diagnostics.
Enterprise Analytics: Customized dashboards and data analytics solutions are provided for B2B partners, including telehealth platforms, pharmaceutical companies, and insurance firms.
Rental Model: For government programs and low-resource settings, a flexible rental model allows for per-patient screening charges ranging from ₹10 to ₹100.

This tiered pricing approach enables the startup to serve a wide spectrum of users—from small clinics and medical colleges to large-scale public health initiatives and corporate partners.

Traction and Recognition

AiSteth has been deployed in over 18 primary health centers across Maharashtra, supporting more than 350 doctors and screening over 52,000 patients. It has received CDSCO licensing for medical devices and completed global compliance benchmarks like ISO 13485 and SOC2. The startup is backed by investors including Turbostart, Rainmatter by Zerodha, and The Chennai Angels, and has won multiple awards such as the PHC Tech Challenge and Phix AI Public Health Tech Challenge.

Scaling Geography and Scope

Ai Health Highway’s short-term focus is to expand from cardiac to respiratory diagnostics. Long-term plans include scaling operations beyond India into the US, UK, and Europe—markets with increasing interest in AI-assisted frontline diagnostics.