What Liberate Medical does

Liberate Medical is a clinical-stage medical device company developing the VentFree Respiratory Muscle Stimulator, a non-invasive neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) device designed to contract abdominal wall muscles in synchrony with exhalation during mechanical ventilation. Founded in 2013 as a spin-out from Apellis Pharmaceuticals and headquartered in Crestwood, Kentucky, the company targets a critical unmet need in ICU care: respiratory muscle atrophy in mechanically ventilated patients, which contributes to weaning failure, prolonged ICU stays, and elevated mortality. VentFree is differentiated by its ability to deliver therapy from day one of mechanical ventilation without requiring patient cooperation, addressing a gap where existing respiratory muscle training methods cannot be used on sedated or delirious patients.

The company's underlying technology uses proprietary breath-synchronized electrical stimulation to activate expiratory muscles, with CEO Dr. Angus McLachlan as co-inventor on all patents covering the platform. Liberate Medical has secured FDA Breakthrough Device Designation (January 2019), CE marking and ISO 13485 certification (October 2019), and FDA Emergency Use Authorization during COVID-19 (May 2020). The PREVENT pivotal trial completed enrollment of 250 patients across 25 centers in the US, EU, and Australia in March 2026, supported by a $6.48M US Department of Defense grant. The company has raised over $20M cumulatively across equity, grant, and accelerator funding rounds.

Liberate Medical's business model centers on direct sales of VentFree to hospital ICUs under a hardware sales revenue model, with CE-marked revenue currently generated in the European Economic Area. The company is pre-revenue in the US, with anticipated FDA De Novo submission and early 2027 commercial launch. Go-to-market relies on a multi-stakeholder enterprise field sales motion targeting physicians, respiratory therapy leadership, nursing, supply chain, value analysis committees, and hospital C-suite, leveraging PREVENT trial sites as beachhead accounts. The addressable market is substantial: over 800,000 US ICU admissions annually involve mechanical ventilation, with prolonged ventilation imposing an estimated $20-45 billion annual burden on the US healthcare system.

Name

Liberate Medical

Legal name

Liberate Medical, LLC

Website

https://liberatemedical.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Liberate Medical is a clinical-stage medical device company developing VentFree, a non-invasive neuromuscular electrical stimulator that contracts abdominal muscles during mechanical ventilation to prevent respiratory muscle atrophy in ICU patients. Pre-revenue with US launch planned for early 2027 following FDA De Novo submission.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Respiratory Medical Devices

NAICS

Electromedical and Electrotherapeutic Apparatus Manufacturing (334510)

SIC

Electromedical & Electrotherapeutic Apparatus (3845)

akta.pro primary industry

Ventilators & Mechanical Ventilation Systems (ICU/Transport/Home) (HLAHAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Home Ventilation, Oxygen Therapy & Respiratory DME Clinical Management (HLAKANAM), Noninvasive Ventilation Interfaces & Consumables (Masks, Tubing, Humidifiers, Filters) (HLAHAGAG)

Keywords

• Respiratory muscle stimulation
• Mechanical ventilation devices
• Critical care medical devices
• Neuromuscular electrical stimulation
• Ventilator weaning technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Crestwood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Medical Device Sales: Liberate Medical is a clinical-stage medical device company preparing for commercial launch of the VentFree Respiratory Muscle Stimulator. The device is currently CE marked and available for sale in the European Economic Area. Following anticipated FDA De Novo clearance in early 2027, the company plans to commercially launch in the U.S. market. Revenue will be generated through direct sales of the medical device to hospital ICUs.
2. Pre-Revenue Stage: Liberate Medical is currently pre-revenue. The company has raised $6.2M in Series B funding and received a $6.48M grant from the US Department of Defense to support clinical trials. The company is investing in clinical development and preparing commercial infrastructure for anticipated market entry.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Liberate Medical develops and manufactures the VentFree Respiratory Muscle Stimulator, a non-invasive neuromuscular electrical stimulation device that contracts the abdominal wall muscles in synchrony with exhalation during mechanical ventilation to prevent respiratory muscle atrophy and reduce ventilator weaning time. The company is pre-revenue and preparing for U.S. commercial launch in early 2027 following FDA De Novo submission, while currently selling under CE marking in the European Economic Area and operating under FDA Emergency Use Authorization for COVID-19 patients in the U.S.

Product overview

Liberate Medical is a clinical-stage medical device company with a single core product: the VentFree Respiratory Muscle Stimulator. This device is the first and only non-invasive, breath-synchronized neuromuscular electrical stimulator designed specifically for mechanically ventilated patients. It uses proprietary electrical muscle stimulation technology to activate expiratory muscles during ventilation, aiming to prevent muscle atrophy and enable faster weaning from ventilator support. The company is preparing for FDA regulatory clearance following completion of its pivotal PREVENT clinical trial, with an anticipated U.S. commercial launch in early 2027.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• VentFree Respiratory Muscle Stimulator A non-invasive, breath-synchronized neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) device that contracts the abdominal wall muscles in synchrony with exhalation during mechanical ventilation to prevent respiratory muscle atrophy and reduce the duration of mechanical ventilation in adult ICU patients. It is sold to hospital intensive care units for use from day one of mechanical ventilation in sedated or delirious patients without requiring patient cooperation.

Quantifiable outcome

• Median reduction of 2 days in ventilator duration in survivors (p=0.07)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Neuroscience Research AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Liberate Medical on pilot randomized controlled trial at Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, Australia. Dr. Euan McCaughey served as study principal investigator. Trial demonstrated feasibility and safety of VentFree in mechanically ventilated patients.
• Amsterdam UMCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConducted second pilot randomized controlled trial in the Netherlands. Prof. Leo Heunks served as coordinating investigator. Results showed reduced ventilation duration and ICU length of stay with 91.1% treatment compliance rate. Jonkman et al. published findings in Critical Care journal.
• Radboudumc (Nijmegen, Netherlands)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCenter of Expertise for Weaning of Mechanical Ventilation. Highest-enrolling site in PREVENT pivotal trial. Tim Frenzel, MD serves as site principal investigator. Under CE mark, has incorporated VentFree into routine clinical care in ICU setting.
• XLerateHealth Healthcare AcceleratorminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLiberate Medical was a participant in this healthcare accelerator program which supports medical technology companies.
• Minnesota, Ohio, and Iowa ManufacturersminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerContract manufacturers in Minnesota, Ohio, and Iowa engaged to speed up production and distribution of VentFree devices during COVID-19 Emergency Use Authorization period.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lungpacer Medical: Lungpacer is developing transvenous phrenic nerve stimulation (Diaphragm Pacing Therapy) intended to help patients wean from mechanical ventilation in the ICU. It is the most direct competitor to Liberate's NMES-based approach for liberating ventilated patients.
• Stimdia Medical: Stimdia Medical is developing an intramuscular phrenic nerve stimulation system to strengthen the diaphragm in mechanically ventilated patients. It targets the same ICU weaning use case as VentFree via electrical stimulation of respiratory muscles.
• Synapse Biomedical: Synapse Biomedical manufactures the NeuRx diaphragm pacing system, a percutaneous electrical stimulation device to support ventilation in patients with respiratory insufficiency. It is a direct comparator as an electrical muscle stimulation therapy targeting respiratory function.
• Avery Biomedical Devices: Avery Biomedical Devices is a long-standing manufacturer of diaphragm pacing systems for patients with ventilator-dependent respiratory failure. Comparable to Liberate as a developer of electrical stimulation devices that contract respiratory muscles.

Emerging players

• Vapotherm: Vapotherm markets high-flow oxygen therapy systems used for respiratory distress in and beyond the ICU. It is comparable as a respiratory care device company focused on weaning/oxygenation, and shares boardroom overlap (Liberate director John Landry is SVP/CFO at Vapotherm).

Broad incumbents

• Dräger: Dräger is a global leader in ICU mechanical ventilation, anesthesia, and patient monitoring with deep hospital relationships. It is comparable as the installed-base incumbent whose ventilator ecosystem Liberate's device plugs into for the weaning workflow.
• Getinge: Getinge (including Maquet) is a major manufacturer of ICU ventilators and acute care therapies sold to hospitals globally. It represents the broad incumbent whose installed ICU footprint Liberate must work with or against at the point of care.
• Hamilton Medical: Hamilton Medical is a specialist manufacturer of intelligent ICU ventilators used in many of the same hospitals that Liberate targets. Comparable as an established ICU ventilation incumbent adjacent to Liberate's weaning use case.
• Medtronic: Medtronic is a diversified medtech leader with respiratory and critical care offerings (historically including ventilators and advanced energy devices) and deep US hospital sales coverage. Comparable as a broad incumbent that could partner with, acquire, or compete against Liberate in ICU respiratory care.
• Fisher & Paykel Healthcare: Fisher & Paykel Healthcare manufactures respiratory care devices including high-flow systems, humidification, and interfaces used in ICU and home ventilation. It is comparable as an established respiratory care incumbent with overlapping clinical customers for Liberate's target ICU weaning workflow.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/liberatemed
• Facebookfacebook.com/liberatemedical
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/2901768

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds13 records

Investors8 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Liberate Medical