Vasowatch is making childbirth safer for all mothers with novel predictive Labor & Delivery technology designed to prevent postpartum hemorrhage—the leading cause of maternal deaths.
Postpartum hemorrhage remains the leading cause of maternal deaths worldwide and in the U.S., where maternal mortality rates are the highest among developed nations.
This preventable condition costs the U.S. healthcare system $1.8 billion annually, with studies showing up to 90% of deaths are avoidable.
Current mandated risk assessments misidentify up to 80% of women who later hemorrhage, while detection methods underestimate blood loss by up to 50%. These challenges are compounded by staffing shortages, increasingly complex patient cases, and implicit bias in obstetric care.
Vasowatch addresses these gaps with accurate, dynamic risk prediction that enables hospitals to focus resources on the highest-need patients and deliver timely treatment—ultimately reducing maternal mortality and advancing health equity.
eadership & Expertise
Vasowatch was founded in May 2021 by an obstetrics nurse and a computer scientist. The team brings together deep clinical, technical, and commercial experience.
- Christine Rohan – CEO
GE and BCBSA growth and operations executive with prior successful digital health startup experience. - James Weimer, PhD – Co-Founder & Algorithm Lead
Expert algorithm developer driving the core technology. - Det Ansin, BSEE – Chief Technology Officer
Provides technical leadership and system architecture expertise. - Harish Sehdev, MD – Clinical Co-Founder
Head of Maternal Fetal Medicine at Pennsylvania Hospital. - Stefanie Modri, MSN RN C-MNN C-OB – Clinical Co-Founder
Obstetrics nurse delivering frontline clinical insight. - Sharon Medendorp, MPH – Product Development & Biometrics
Experienced executive overseeing clinical trials and product strategy.
Vasowatch is a Penn Center for Innovation Ventures portfolio company (incorporated 2023) with technology exclusively licensed from Vanderbilt University. The company has engaged high-quality software engineering and CRO service providers.
Vasowatch’s go-to-market strategy combines clinical validation, direct sales, strategic partnerships, and reimbursement pathways to drive rapid adoption.
Key Strategies
- Build Clinical Confidence
Engage Key Opinion Leaders and present at major societies (SMFM, ACNM, AWHONN). - Direct Sales to Health Systems
Target hospitals focused on maternal outcomes and health equity with subscription-per-birth model. - Distribution Partnerships
Execute agreements with global medtech vendors and obstetrics platform providers to leverage existing relationships. - Reimbursement Pathway
Collaborate with BCBS plans for actuarial analysis and pursue New Technology Additive Payment codes for Medicaid. - Employer Engagement
Raise awareness among large self-insured employers (e.g., Amazon, Walmart) to include Vasowatch in healthcare contracts.
Vasowatch generates revenue through a scalable subscription model with multiple growth levers.
Primary Revenue Streams
- Hospital Subscriptions
Volume-based pricing (~$250K per hospital annually), delivering 4:1 ROI for cash-strapped facilities across 2,148 U.S. obstetric hospitals. - Medtech Distribution
Partnerships with established vendors for broader market reach. - Wearable & EMR Integration
Certify existing hospital-grade devices to reduce adoption barriers and costs. - Biomarker Licensing
License technology to obstetrics platforms and equipment vendors. - International Expansion
Post-FDA approval, pursue WHO pre-qualification to access 140 million annual global births.
Future pipeline includes new algorithms to further enhance childbirth safety.
Investment Opportunity
Vasowatch is raising a $1 million seed round to fund a 300-patient clinical pilot demonstrating clinical efficacy and system usability.
The pilot will generate data to support:
- FDA feedback on pivotal trial design for Class II De Novo approval
- Breakthrough Device Designation application
Use of Funds
| Category | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Clinical Pilot Execution | Hardware, software engineering/support, CRO services, clinical operations, training, academic medical center subcontract, insurance, regulatory consulting, and administration |
| Regulatory Milestones | FDA submission preparation and Breakthrough Device Designation application |
This investment will de-risk the path to FDA clearance and position Vasowatch for rapid commercialization in a high-impact maternal health market.
Vasowatch is developing a life-saving system that identifies 4 out of 5 previously unknown hemorrhage risk cases missed by current standards—providing 2+ hours of advance notice for intervention.
The patent-pending platform analyzes streaming maternal heart rate during active labor using readily available wearables to detect uterine muscle weakening—the leading cause of hemorrhage that emerges during delivery.
- Device-agnostic design integrates with existing hospital equipment and dashboards for affordability and accessibility.
- MVP technically validated with observational study data.
- Next milestone: 300-patient clinical pilot to prove efficacy and usability.
With advanced warning, clinicians can plan and prepare, enabling timely treatment and potentially averting 60% of hemorrhage incidents.
Vasowatch has secured non-dilutive grants, awards, and early investment totaling over $850K raised plus contingent matching funds.
Funding & Awards
| Source | Amount | Type |
|---|---|---|
| STTR Phase I Award | $244K | Grant |
| Penn Health Tech Grant | $68K | Grant |
| Penn School of Nursing Grant | $18K | Grant |
| Laerdal Million Lives Fund | $100K | SAFE |
| mHUB Product Impact Fund | $75K | SAFE |
| Raynier Seed Fund | $25K | SAFE |
| MATTER Health | $25K | SAFE |
| Friends & Family | $315K | Convertible Notes |
| Various Competition Awards | $27K total | Awards (Startup World Cup, Startup 302, BioNTX, Nemera) |
| Vanderbilt University Innovation Fund (contingent) | $300K | Matching |
| Ben Franklin Technology Partners (contingent) | $150K | Matching |
