Prague, Budapest, September 12, 2025 – Czech healthcare startup Kardi AI has reached another milestone. In Budapest, it won the Central European Startup Awards 2025, a regional part of the Global Startup Awards, and was awarded the Best AI-enabled Startup of 2025. With this win, it has advanced to the global finals of one of the largest startup competitions in the world, confirming that Czech innovation has the potential to change people’s lives internationally.

Kardi AI uses artificial intelligence for long-term ECG monitoring, and can thus detect serious cardiac arrhythmias and other problems that are often overlooked by conventional short-term methods. The solution, using a mobile app with a custom AI model, has already helped detect more than 250 serious cases early. “It’s not just about the technology. It’s about the fact that our device has already helped 250 people detect serious heart problems that would otherwise have gone unnoticed and could have been a major risk. That’s 250 lives significantly improved or even saved. And that’s the biggest reward for us,” says Vlastimil Hrabal, CEO of Kardi AI.

The startup has already gained the trust of more than 2,500 users and is currently preparing to expand abroad. In its latest investment round, it raised a total of CZK 40 million from investors Purple Ventures, BrightCap Ventures, DEPO Ventures, Garage Angels, Lumus Investment Collective and a Czech angel investor.

At the same time, the company’s management was strengthened by Vlastimil Hrabal, who took over the position of CEO after a successful tenure as COO. He brings international experience and a strategy focused on domestic and global growth. Starting this autumn, he plans to significantly strengthen Kardi Ai’s position in the Czech market, where the startup already works with 130 cardiologists and 33 hospitals.

About the Central European Startup Awards

The Central European Startup Awards competition covers 18 countries including the Czech Republic, Poland, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia and annually recognises exceptional startups, innovators and personalities who are moving the world of business forward in a total of 12 categories. The winner is decided by an expert jury, supplemented by a public vote. The winners then participate in the global finals of the Global Startup Awards. For Kardi AI, winning also means advancing to the global finals of the competition.

source in Czech: Kardi AI