An Israeli MedTech startup is partnering with an Omaha-based in-home care franchise to help patients with chronic respiratory diseases manage their condition at home. RespirAI Medical, a startup based in Tel Aviv, Israel, was recently awarded a grant from the Israel-U.S. Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Foundation to enable the partnership.

The funding will go toward supporting the startup’s collaboration with its corporate partner Right at Home. The companies are working together to develop and commercialize an AI-powered home monitoring platform for managing conditions related to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). 

BIRD is a joint initiative between the U.S. and Israel that provides funding for any two U.S. and Israeli companies collaborating on an “innovative product or service.” The foundation does not seek equity in participating businesses, but instead asks for repayment of grant funding if enough revenue is generated after going to market.

Nimrod Bin-Nun, serial entrepreneur, co-founder and CEO of RespirAI Medical, said the funding from BIRD was “prestigious”, but “only an excuse” for the startup’s partnership with global in-home care franchise corporation Right at Home. While the funding and recognition brought by the award made the decision easier, he said Right at Home, and the Nebraska startup community as a whole, are key to their progress. 

“They have all the right pieces of the puzzle that we were looking for,” said Bin-Nun. 

According to BIRD, the foundation is investing a $6 million round divided among five partnerships, providing conditional grants up to $1.5 million. Bin-Nun said BIRD provides around 50% cost-sharing and that the funding will support two years of RespirAI Medical and Right at Home’s clinical efforts, FDA protocols and bringing the product to market. He declined to disclose the exact amount of funding received.

Sparked by Omaha research

Bin-Nun said the primary motivation behind his startup was to answer the question of how a doctor could check in on a patient’s health outside of a scheduled appointment. The technology, he said, was made even more relevant by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

While searching for such a solution from universities and hospitals worldwide, Bin-Nun said he came across a patent backed by research done on COPD by Jenna Yentes, Ph.D., at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) Biomechanics Department. 

According to a press release from UNeTech, Yentes collaborated with UNMC Professor of Medicine in Pulmonary and Critical Care Stephen Rennard, Ph.D. in her research. With the support of UNeTech and UNeMed, the academic research evolved into a promising tech startup and the basis for RespirAI’s current wearable platform. 

Bin-Nun said RespirAI Medical was established in Israel in 2020. The company was granted an exclusive license from UNeMed for the development and commercialization of the initial research in 2022. 

UNeTech Associate Director Joe Runge described RespirAI Medical as the culmination of Yentes’ research. 

“Dr. Yentes, throughout her career as a student and a faculty member, really tried to identify if there are hallmarks or patterns in the way people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder move and breathe,” said Runge. “She was able to identify that, she was able to validate that, but it was ultimately when working with RespirAI that they were able to embody that into a product that was going to be more competitive on the market.”

Yentes, now an associate professor at Texas A&M, serves on RespirAI Medical’s scientific advisory board.

“She is the brain behind the algorithm,” said Bin-Nun.

A common mission between companies

Right at Home Chief Growth and Strategic Operations Officer Brady Schwab said the interest in collaborating with RespirAI Medical was spurred from correspondence they received directly from UNeTech. Right at Home leadership was curious about how they could assist the innovation ecosystem in eastern Nebraska, where its headquarters is located. 

Schwab said Right at Home leadership believed it could give the local clinical and medical community access to targeted users and customers and accelerate the development process. He also said Right at Home itself would benefit from discovering technology that could assist with its own caregiving efforts — such as caring for individuals with COPD. 

By partnering with RespirAI, Schwab said it felt like the two groups were bringing together experts with a shared passion for helping others. 

“Our mission is to improve the lives of those we serve and in our corner of the world it’s really allowing people to age safely and independently in their homes,” said Schwab. “The fact that it was a medical device with a really clear application that fit well within the demographic we serve, it was just a great opportunity — a nice hometown story.”

A future in Nebraska

Bin-Nun said RespirAI is working to establish a greater presence in the U.S. and more specifically Nebraska. The startup recently opened a physical office space, complete with an employee, at Catalyst. He said the company has leveraged local organizations and initiatives, including becoming members of BioNebraska, and continues to work with the university system and local medical community. 

Bin-Nun said he plans to keep hiring employees in Nebraska and working with local service providers and experts. He said the company wants to expand into other issues outside of COPD. 

“The progress behind RespirAI is a real way to instate what a jewel the University of Nebraska is — how all the campuses working together can do things that can’t be done anywhere else in the world,” said Runge. “Which is why we’re collaborating with people around the world.”