Neopenda
Neopenda is a Chicago-based public benefit corporation that designs and sells neoGuard, a clinical-grade wearable vital signs monitor for neonatal and patient monitoring in resource-constrained hospitals across Kenya, Uganda, and Ghana. It serves more than 45 hospitals through direct B2B hardware sales.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Neopenda does
Neopenda, PBC is a Chicago-headquartered public benefit corporation founded in 2015 at Columbia University that designs, manufactures, and sells the neoGuard™, a clinical-grade wearable vital signs monitor aimed at resource-constrained health facilities in emerging markets. The device continuously measures four vital signs—pulse rate, respiratory rate, SpO2 (blood oxygen saturation), and temperature—in a single wearable form factor and delivers real-time alerts to clinicians, addressing conditions including power instability, intermittent internet, space constraints, and limited spare-part availability. Neopenda holds ISO 13485 certification and CE Mark approval, and its clinical accuracy has been validated in peer-reviewed publications including Frontiers in Digital Health. The company reports more than 45 hospital customers across Kenya, Uganda, and Ghana that purchase neoGuard directly with their own operating budgets, making the business model a B2B hardware sales motion complemented by a community investment capital raise via Wefunder.
Neopenda sells a single flagship product line (neoGuard) through direct field sales to hospitals and neonatal care units, with primary use cases centered on neonatal monitoring where 2.6 million annual first-month neonatal deaths—98% in the developing world and 80% preventable—define the addressable need. Distribution is concentrated in East and West Africa, with operational support in Nairobi and named deployments at facilities such as Tabaka Mission Hospital in Kenya, Mulago Hospital and RUNH in Uganda, and tertiary hospitals in Southwest Nigeria. The company is led by co-founders Sona Shah (CEO) and Teresa Cauvel (CTO), with a lean team of roughly 10-15 staff spanning embedded and Android engineering, supply chain and quality, customer success, and sales.
Capitalization totals over $6 million across a mix of grants, convertible notes, angel/venture funding, and community investment, with investors including Axel Johnson, Sunu Capital, Villgro Kenya, 54 Collective, Sorenson Impact Foundation, Springhood, Connetic Ventures, and Assiduity Capital. Recent strategic moves include a January 2024 SEC Form D exempt offering of up to $1.5M, an ongoing Wefunder community round, and 2024 inclusion in the WHO Compendium of Innovative Health Technologies for Low-Resource Settings and the UNITAID Oxygen Innovation Landscape, which together support procurement credibility with ministries of health and global health agencies.
Neopenda firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Neopenda
- Legal name
- Neopenda, PBC
- Website
- https://neopenda.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Neopenda is a Chicago-based public benefit corporation that designs and sells neoGuard, a clinical-grade wearable vital signs monitor for neonatal and patient monitoring in resource-constrained hospitals across Kenya, Uganda, and Ghana. It serves more than 45 hospitals through direct B2B hardware sales.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Neopenda industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Medical Devices
- NAICS
- Electromedical and Electrotherapeutic Apparatus Manufacturing (334510), Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (33451), Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing (3391)
- SIC
- Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841), Electromedical & Electrotherapeutic Apparatus (3845)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Vital Signs Monitoring (Multi-parameter, Spot-Check & Continuous) (HLAHACAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Blood Oxygen & Respiratory Monitoring (Pulse Oximetry, Capnography, Spirometry) (HLAHACAD), Respiratory Monitoring & Oximetry (Capnography, Pulse Oximeters, Respiratory Rate) (HLAHAGAI)
Keywords
Where Neopenda is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Neopenda business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- neoGuard Device Sales: Sale of neoGuard vital signs monitors directly to hospitals and healthcare facilities in emerging markets. Hardware sales model with direct B2B purchasing by hospitals.
- Convertible Note Financing: SEC filing indicates $1.5 million exempt securities offering with $700,000 already sold. Community investment round through Wefunder allows investment starting at $100.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | One time | Community Investment Round |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels8 records
Neopenda product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Neopenda designs, manufactures, and sells neoGuard™, a clinical-grade wearable vital signs monitor for resource-constrained health facilities. The device continuously measures pulse rate, respiratory rate, SpO2, and temperature in a single wearable and provides real-time alerts to clinicians. It is sold directly to hospitals and neonatal care units in emerging markets including Kenya, Uganda, and Ghana.
Product overview
Neopenda offers a single flagship product: neoGuard™, a clinical-grade wearable vital signs monitor. NeoGuard™ is designed specifically for resource-constrained health facilities in emerging markets and continuously measures four vital signs (pulse rate, respiratory rate, SpO2, and temperature) with real-time alerting capabilities. The company operates as a medical device manufacturer providing this hardware product directly to hospitals across Kenya, Uganda, and Ghana.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- neoGuard: A clinical-grade vital signs monitor designed for resource-constrained health facilities. The 4-in-1 device continuously measures pulse rate, respiratory rate, SpO2, and temperature, providing critical data in real-time.
Products and services
- neoGuard™ Vital Signs Monitor Clinical-grade wearable vital signs monitor designed for resource-constrained health facilities. Continuously measures pulse rate, respiratory rate, SpO2 (blood oxygen saturation), and temperature in a single wearable device, and provides real-time alerts to clinicians when patient vital signs deteriorate. ISO 13485 certified and CE Mark approved. Sold directly to hospitals and neonatal care units in Kenya, Uganda, and Ghana.
Companies that use Neopenda
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Neopenda technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Neopenda partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- WefundercorePlatform partnership for community investment rounds. Enables individual investors to invest in Neopenda starting from $100, providing accessible investment opportunities and building community ownership.
- World Health Organization (WHO)flagshipFeatured in WHO compendium of innovative health technologies for low-resource settings 2024, providing international validation and visibility for neoGuard technology.
- UNITAIDcoreFeatured in UNITAID Oxygen Innovation Landscape 2024, recognizing the product's contribution to medical oxygen access in low-resource settings.
- MIT SolvecoreWon MIT Solve Challenge 2018 Frontlines of Health, providing mentorship, network access, and credibility as a Solver team in the global health tech ecosystem.
- TB AllianceminorWillo Brock, SVP of External Affairs at TB Alliance, serves on Neopenda's Board of Advisors, providing strategic guidance on global health issues.
- Columbia UniversitycoreNeopenda was founded at Columbia University in 2015. Dr. Aaron Kyle (faculty) and Katherine Reuther (Co-Director of Columbia Biomedical Accelerator) serve on the Board of Advisors.
- Makerere University School of Public HealthcoreDr. Peter Waiswa, researcher and lecturer, serves on Neopenda's Board of Advisors, providing expertise in public health in East Africa.
- Efficiency for AccessminorOrganization whose image courtesy credit appears on Neopenda's website, indicating partnership in the efficiency and access to healthcare technology space.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Neopenda competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Gradian Health Systems: Gradian builds and distributes anesthesia machines and other medical devices designed for low-resource hospitals in Africa and Asia. Like Neopenda, Gradian engineers hardware around the constraints of power instability, technician scarcity, and budget pressure in emerging markets.
- Nonin Medical: Nonin specializes in pulse oximetry and capnography sensors, including fingertip and wearable form factors used in clinical and home settings. It overlaps directly with neoGuard's SpO2 and respiratory rate monitoring capabilities.
- Laerdal Global Health: Laerdal Global Health focuses on affordable, ruggedized neonatal and maternal health solutions for low-resource settings, including training and resuscitation devices. It shares Neopenda's emerging-market neonatal mission and donor-funded distribution model.
Broad incumbents
- Masimo: Masimo is a global leader in pulse oximetry and patient monitoring technology, with a large installed base in hospitals worldwide. It competes indirectly with neoGuard on SpO2 and respiratory rate monitoring and represents the scale incumbent Neopenda must differentiate against on cost and ruggedization.
- Philips Patient Monitoring: Philips offers a broad portfolio of multi-parameter vital signs monitors and ICU solutions used in hospitals globally. It is the dominant incumbent in continuous patient monitoring and overlaps with neoGuard on use cases such as neonatal and general ward monitoring.
- GE HealthCare Patient Monitoring: GE HealthCare provides multi-parameter patient monitors, including neonatal and ICU solutions sold to hospitals worldwide. It is a broad incumbent competitor with much larger scale but products typically priced and engineered for well-resourced facilities.
- Medtronic (Patient Monitoring): Medtronic offers patient monitoring and vital signs products as part of a broader medical device portfolio. Its monitoring business competes with neoGuard in hospital settings while also serving far larger therapeutic categories.
Emerging players
- EarlySense: EarlySense provides contact-free continuous patient monitoring sensors for hospital wards. It overlaps with neoGuard in continuous vital signs monitoring but is focused on general medical-surgical wards in higher-acuity markets.
- BioIntelliSense: BioIntelliSense offers continuous multi-parameter wearable monitoring with remote data capture for clinical and post-acute settings. It shares neoGuard's continuous multi-vital-signs approach but targets U.S. and developed-market customers.
- Biofourmis: Biofourmis provides continuous remote patient monitoring and analytics, including wearable biosensors and AI-driven alerting. It competes in the broader continuous vital signs monitoring category but is more software- and analytics-led than Neopenda's hardware-first approach.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Neopenda social profiles
Digital presenceNeopenda compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Neopenda financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Neopenda leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Neopenda funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds17 records
Investors12 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Neopenda M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Neopenda
What does Neopenda do?
Neopenda designs, manufactures, and sells neoGuard™, a clinical-grade wearable vital signs monitor for resource-constrained health facilities. The device continuously measures pulse rate, respiratory rate, SpO2, and temperature in a single wearable and provides real-time alerts to clinicians. It is sold directly to hospitals and neonatal care units in emerging markets including Kenya, Uganda, and Ghana.
Is Neopenda a public or private company?
Neopenda is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Neopenda founded?
Neopenda was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Neopenda based?
Neopenda is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does Neopenda make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. neoGuard Device Sales are the primary driver. The others are convertible Note Financing.
Who are Neopenda's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Gradian Health Systems, Nonin Medical and Laerdal Global Health. Broad incumbents are Masimo, Philips Patient Monitoring, GE HealthCare Patient Monitoring and Medtronic (Patient Monitoring). Emerging players are EarlySense, BioIntelliSense and Biofourmis.
Does Neopenda have an API?
No public API is recorded for Neopenda.
What industry is Neopenda in?
Neopenda's product category is Medical Devices. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAHACAA, Vital Signs Monitoring (Multi-parameter, Spot-Check & Continuous), with a secondary code of HLAHACAD, Blood Oxygen & Respiratory Monitoring (Pulse Oximetry, Capnography, Spirometry). Its NAICS code is 334510 and its SIC code is 3841.