BirthTech

What BirthTech does

BirthTech is a privately-held medical device company founded in 2019 as a university spinoff of the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) in Brazil, headquartered in Belo Horizonte with a European subsidiary (Birthtech Europa) in Figueiró dos Vinhos, Portugal. The company develops and commercializes non-invasive, low-cost medical devices targeting neonatal care in resource-constrained birth scenarios, addressing the 15 million preterm births and approximately 1 million annual prematurity-related deaths identified by the WHO.

The company's core product, the Preemie-Test, is a portable optoelectronic device that determines gestational age by illuminating the sole of a newborn's foot with LED light at 470nm, 575nm, and 630nm wavelengths and analyzing skin reflectance. A multivariable predictive model combining reflectance data with birth weight and clinical variables achieved an R2 of 0.828 against first-trimester ultrasound and 96.9% accuracy (95% CI) in a multicentric single-blind clinical trial of 781 newborns. Complementary products include NewbornTemp, a Bluetooth-connected continuous temperature monitoring system scalable from 1 to 10,000 sensors, and Perinatal Temp, a WiFi-integrated fetal and maternal temperature system currently in development. A free, non-profit mobile application called Preemie Care was launched in 2023 to provide neonatal risk assessment decision support.

BirthTech operates a B2B and B2G go-to-market model, selling hardware to hospitals, healthcare facilities, and government health ministries across high-, middle-, and low-income country settings, with annual calibration services provided through local distribution partners. Distribution is executed via a direct enterprise field sales motion and a 'Become a Distributor' channel partner program, supported by regulatory clearances from INFARMED (Portugal) and EUDAMED (EU). The company has 1-10 employees, has recorded a single funding round with COREangels Atlantic, and is led by founders Rodney Nascimento (CEO, astrophysicist) and Wagner Magalhães (CTO), with revenue figures undisclosed.

Name

BirthTech

Legal name

BirthTech

Website

https://birthtech.com.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

BirthTech is a UFMG spinoff developing non-invasive, low-cost LED-based medical devices — primarily the Preemie-Test for automated gestational age detection and NewbornTemp for continuous neonatal temperature monitoring — sold to hospitals and government health ministries worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Figueiró Dos Vinhos

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Medical Device Sales: Sale of Preemie-Test and NewbornTemp medical devices to healthcare facilities, hospitals, and governments. Devices are manufactured with emphasis on low cost to facilitate dissemination in low-income countries.
2. Annual Calibration Services: Annual calibration services performed by local distributors. Calibration cost is responsibility of the customer with annual periodicity.
3. Device Distribution Partnerships: Multi-partnership distribution model with local distributors handling sales, calibration, and support in different markets.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

BirthTech develops and sells non-invasive, low-cost medical devices for maternal and newborn care, including the Preemie-Test (LED-based prematurity detection via skin reflectance), NewbornTemp (Bluetooth-enabled remote body temperature monitoring), and Perinatal Temp (WiFi-integrated fetal and maternal temperature measurement). The company also offers the Preemie Care mobile app for neonatal risk assessment. All products target healthcare facilities, hospitals, midwives, governments, and health ministries across high-, middle-, and low-income settings.

Product overview

BirthTech offers a portfolio of essential medical devices for birth scenarios, consisting of three core hardware products and one mobile application. The Preemie Test is an LED-based optical device for automated prematurity detection via skin reflectance measurement. The Newborn Temp provides remote body temperature monitoring via Bluetooth-connected sensors. The Perinatal Temp is a WiFi-integrated fetal and maternal temperature measurement system. The Preemie Care mobile app complements the hardware products by providing decision support for neonatal risk assessment. All products are designed to be portable, non-invasive, and low-cost for use across diverse birth settings including home births, low-complexity facilities, and neonatal care units in both high-income and low-resource settings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Preemie-Test An automated LED-based medical device that detects prematurity by measuring skin reflectance on the sole of a newborn's foot using LED light at wavelengths of 470nm, 575nm, and 630nm. It determines gestational age without requiring prior expertise, is portable (slightly larger than a thermometer), and validated with 96.9% accuracy across 781 newborns in a multicentric clinical trial. Designed for healthcare professionals, midwives, and birth attendants in all birth settings including low-resource environments.
• NewbornTemp A remote body temperature monitoring system using individual Bluetooth sensors attached to the skin that transmit axillary temperature data to mobile devices or fixed antennas. Data is processed in real-time on a cloud platform with alert management for hypothermia and hyperthermia detection. The system is scalable from 1 to 10,000 sensors, features state-of-the-art encryption, and sensors are reusable for 3+ years without recharge. Designed for neonatal care units, hospitals, and broader population health monitoring applications.
• Perinatal Temp A fetal and neonatal maternal temperature measurement system with an integrated WiFi temperature sensor. It features active monitoring, temperature alerts, and audible alerts for continuous surveillance during birth scenarios. Currently in development. Designed for maternity wards and birthing facilities requiring continuous maternal-fetal temperature monitoring.
• Preemie Care App A free mobile application supporting healthcare professionals in neonatal risk assessment based on gestational age and birth weight. The app provides immediate universal care actions on the birth day based on scientific evidence from UFMG Faculty of Medicine. Available on iOS and Android platforms for healthcare professionals and caregivers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 96.9% accuracy with 95% confidence interval for prematurity detection
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBirthTech is a university spinoff licensed by UFMG to retain ownership of innovation and introduce it to market. Technology originated from UFMG research. Preemie Care app content developed by UFMG Faculty of Medicine professors and researchers.
• Healthcare facilities and research institutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical validation conducted across 781 newborns in multicentric trial and 115 newborns in cross-sectional study. Team experienced with birth scenarios in Brazil, Malawi, Mozambique, and India.
• BiotechTownminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInnovation intermediary that organized BioInnovation Challenge at Hospitalar Fair 2019, connecting BirthTech with established healthcare companies.
• Anbiotec BrasilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of BioInnovation Challenge event connecting startups with healthcare industry leaders.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Nonin Medical: Nonin Medical produces non-invasive pulse oximetry and sensor technologies for patient monitoring, including neonatal applications. Comparable as a specialist hardware vendor with similar optoelectronic/sensor-based technology and clinical focus on vital sign monitoring.
• Natus Medical: Natus Medical specializes in neurodiagnostic and newborn care products, including hearing screening, jaundice management, and NICU monitoring. Highly comparable as a focused neonatal device vendor with similar hospital sales motion.
• Huntleigh (aaronia): Huntleigh manufactures fetal Dopplers, cardiotocography (CTG), and maternal/fetal monitoring equipment widely used in obstetric wards. Comparable as a focused perinatal monitoring hardware vendor targeting the same clinical use cases as Preemie-Test and Perinatal Temp.

Broad incumbents

• Dräger: Dräger is a leading manufacturer of neonatal incubators, warming therapy, and patient monitoring systems widely used in NICUs worldwide. Comparable as a broader neonatal care hardware incumbent with overlapping hospital customer base.
• Masimo: Masimo is a global leader in non-invasive patient monitoring, with deep presence in neonatal pulse oximetry and SET® technology used in NICUs worldwide. Comparable as a hardware-focused neonatal monitoring player, though at vastly greater scale and with broader product portfolios.
• GE HealthCare: GE HealthCare manufactures fetal monitoring (Corometrics), maternal/newborn monitoring, and ultrasound systems used in hospital labor and delivery units globally. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the same neonatal and maternal care device category BirthTech targets.
• Philips (Maternal & Infant Care): Philips offers Avalon fetal and maternal monitors plus a range of neonatal care solutions across both high-income and emerging markets. Comparable in targeting the same hospital perinatal workflow with continuous monitoring solutions.

Emerging players

• Laerdal Global Health: Laerdal Global Health produces low-cost training and resuscitation devices (e.g., NeoNatalie, Upright Resuscitator) explicitly designed for low-resource birth settings. Comparable in mission (newborn survival in LMICs), target customer (midwives, community health workers), and emphasis on affordable, durable hardware.
• Bloomlife: Bloomlife develops connected maternal and fetal health monitoring solutions, including wearable sensors and a pregnancy data platform. Comparable as an emerging digital health player focused on the same perinatal/neonatal care workflow, though with a software-and-wearable rather than optical-skin-reflectance approach.

Regional players

• Bistos (BT-300/350 series): Bistos is a Korean manufacturer of neonatal/maternal monitors, infant warmers, and phototherapy devices sold primarily in Asian and emerging markets. Comparable as a regional neonatal device vendor with similar cost-conscious positioning for LMIC hospital customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@birthtech
• Facebookfacebook.com/birthtech
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/birthtech
• Instagraminstagram.com/birthtech

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 BirthTech