Execution Beats Flashy Funding

Key Learnings From Juan's Experience

• Capital efficiency can often be more valuable than flashy, oversized funding rounds. Focus on scaling sustainably without unnecessary dilution by keeping your organization lean and focused. And don’t forget to make that a point of emphasis for your company as it will make finding capital that much easier.

• Focus on developing your product and thoroughly understanding your market before inviting investors to join your venture. Allow your team space to develop a solid foundation before bringing in external opinions to ensure that early investor feedback doesn’t misalign or dilute your core vision. 

• Prioritize genuine relationships, transparency, and rigorous standards to build credibility and lasting partnerships. Be upfront about both your strengths and limitations. Embrace a proactive approach to validation and industry recognition, particularly if you’re an unconventional player in the field.

Juan C. Jimenez began his career in finance and investment banking, specializing in M&A transactions at Credit Suisse. After the 2008-2009 financial crisis, he pivoted to real estate distressed credit investment, which led him to a surprising role as President of a non-emergency medical transportation company. This was his first exposure to healthcare, and it left a lasting impression. “Helping people and improving patient outcomes is what drives me,” Juan says, realizing he’d found a space he wanted to stay in. 

AccurKardia began with a casual suggestion from a friend (and now also Co-Founder of AccurKardia) and turned into a full-time endeavor for Juan when he saw its life-saving potential.  “I got involved, I invested, and fell in love with the technology and the fact that we could literally save lives,” Juan recalls. 

AccurKardia, founded in 2019, addresses a major gap in cardiac monitoring: automating ECG interpretation. They’ve built a device-agnostic platform that analyzes ECG data from various devices, such as Holter monitors and mobile cardiac telemetry, providing actionable insights for physicians more quickly and cost-effectively than traditional methods. 

Typically, data collected from these devices is sent offshore for analysis, delaying results and creating variability in quality. AccurKardia’s automated platform allows healthcare providers to keep data onshore, reducing interpretation times and improving care quality. As Juan explains, “Most of the ECG data obtained in the U.S. is not reviewed by cardiac monitoring companies. Our product is meant to keep that data onshore and improve the quality of interpretation, allowing doctors to get data faster so they can initiate treatment promptly.”

AccurECG, the company’s first FDA-cleared product is already making waves, with one paying customer onboard and several more in the pipeline. They’ve also achieved breakthrough designation for a new model that screens for aortic stenosis, a condition often overlooked in asymptomatic patients. “There are 100 million ECGs performed in the U.S. per year,” Juan points out. “If we can screen with that data, we can identify asymptomatic patients with aortic stenosis, improving their quality of life by catching the issue early.”

Looking ahead, AccurKardia has a robust product pipeline that includes novel use cases for ECG data, such as detecting cardiac amyloidosis, electrolyte dysfunction, and heart failure. With another FDA filing planned for 2025, Juan is optimistic. “The accuracy of our cardiac monitoring product is already deployed, and we hope to have four or five more customers soon. Saving lives through earlier, better management of patients is what I love.”