CardioStart International

What CardioStart International does

CardioStart International is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit humanitarian medical organization founded in 1987 and headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida (Tax ID: 59-3679703). The organization assembles volunteer teams of 30-40 cardiac surgeons, pediatric specialists, nurses, perfusionists, anesthesiologists, and allied health professionals who conduct two-week medical missions to underserved countries. Services include free cardiac surgery (pediatric congenital defect repair, rheumatic heart disease treatment, adult cardiac surgery), interventional cardiology catheter-based procedures, pacemaker implantation, ICU care, and community outreach (health screenings, dental/oral hygiene education, CPR training). Beyond direct surgical service, the model emphasizes capacity-building: teams work side-by-side with local staff to develop self-sustaining cardiac programs, and 19 forty-foot shipping containers plus 22 airfreight pallets of medical equipment were dispatched in 2024-2025 to support long-term partner-hospital capability.

Revenue is generated primarily through tax-deductible donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations, supplemented by a boutique thrift store, CardioStart Resale Thrift, in Sisters, Oregon (founded 2011) and a $50 volunteer registration fee. Volunteer applicants self-fund their own airline tickets and visas, while the organization covers shared lodging and two daily meals. Distribution is event-driven: missions are announced on the website and via newsletter, and volunteer recruitment is conducted through a structured online interest form with selection on a first-come, first-served basis. Over its 38-year history, CardioStart reports 127 missions in 43 countries, 2,095 mission volunteers, 1,865 cardiac surgeries, 7,165 outreach patients, and 126 shipping containers/shipments. Key in-kind and financial partners include Edwards Lifesciences, Medtronic, Americares, Artivion, Braille Biomédica, Livanova, Children's Lifeline, Airlink, and Southtowne Rotary. The organization is governed by a Board of Trustees including active and former chiefs of cardiothoracic surgery, a Mastercard Global VP, a PwC Director, and a FedEx finance alum, with the founder Dr. Aubyn Marath serving as CEO and Janine Henson as President and Executive Director.

Name

CardioStart International

Legal name

CardioStart International

Website

https://cardiostart.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CardioStart International is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 1987, that sends volunteer cardiac surgical teams to underserved countries to perform free heart surgery and train local medical staff in building sustainable cardiac programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Cardiac Surgery Services

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), General Medical and Surgical Hospitals (622110), Offices of Physicians (except Mental Health Specialists) (621111)

SIC

Services-Hospitals (8060), Services-General Medical & Surgical Hospitals, Nec (8062), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Cardiac & Cardiothoracic Specialty Hospitals (HLAFAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

International/Medical Tourism Hospital Systems (HLAFAAAN), Interventional Cardiology (PCI/Structural Heart) (HLAKABAB), Emergency Medical Care & Field Hospitals (BPADADAC)

Keywords

• Humanitarian medical missions
• Cardiac surgery services
• Medical volunteer programs
• Nonprofit healthcare
• Cardiac capacity building

Headquarters

HQ city

St. Petersburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: CardioStart generates revenue through tax-deductible monetary donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations. The organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (Tax ID: 59-3679703). Donations support patient medications, medical supplies, and volunteer mission efforts. A $50 USD registration fee is charged for volunteer applications.
2. Thrift Store Sales: CardioStart Resale Thrift is a boutique thrift store in Sisters, Oregon that sells donated clothing, accessories, and household items. Proceeds directly support CardioStart's mission and vision. The store has become the most successful thrift store in Sisters.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CardioStart International organizes two-week international medical missions in which teams of 30-40 volunteer cardiac surgeons, anesthesiologists, perfusionists, intensivists, nurses, and allied professionals travel to partner hospitals in underserved countries to deliver free cardiac surgery, interventional cardiology, pacemaker implantation, and ICU care. The organization also conducts community outreach clinics, health screenings, and health education programs, and ships forty-foot containers and airfreight pallets of medical supplies to support long-term capacity building at partner institutions.

Product overview

CardioStart International operates as a humanitarian medical nonprofit, not a technology company. Its core offering is a unified medical service program centered on providing free cardiovascular surgery and cardiac care through international volunteer missions. The primary products include Humanitarian Cardiac Surgery Missions (providing life-saving heart surgeries to underserved populations), Interventional Cardiology Services (catheter-based procedures), Pacemaker Implantation Programs, and Community Outreach Programs (health screenings and education). Supporting these core medical services are Medical Skills Training and Education initiatives that empower local medical teams with knowledge transfer. The organization also operates fundraising arms including a Thrift Store and Donations Program. There are no software products, platforms, or technology modules in the product portfolio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Humanitarian Cardiac Surgery Missions Free cardiovascular surgery missions conducted in underserved regions of the world by 30-40 person international volunteer medical teams, providing life-saving cardiac procedures for children with congenital heart defects and adults with rheumatic heart disease and other cardiac conditions.
• Interventional Cardiology Services Catheterization-based cardiac procedures including diagnostic assessments and therapeutic interventions provided during missions, expanding cardiac care access as partner countries acquire catheterization lab infrastructure.
• Pacemaker Implantation Programs Programs that assist partner hospitals with pacemaker implantation services and train local medical teams on the procedure and follow-up care.
• Community Outreach Programs Health screenings, medical evaluations, treatment of minor problems, and health education services provided to underserved populations during missions, including hypertension and diabetes screening, primary care clinics, pediatric physical exams, cardiac screenings, ultrasound scans, CPR classes, first aid training, dental/oral hygiene education, and rheumatic fever prevention education.
• Medical Skills Training and Education Side-by-side teaching of advanced cardiac surgical techniques, critical care protocols, perfusion, perioperative management, and biomedical engineering delivered to local medical staff to build sustainable cardiac care programs.
• CardioStart Resale Thrift Store Boutique thrift store at 435 W Cascade Ave, Sisters, Oregon, selling donated clothing, accessories, and household items. Described as the most successful thrift store in Sisters, Oregon, with proceeds directly supporting CardioStart's humanitarian cardiac mission.

Quantifiable outcome

• 127 missions completed; 1865 cardiac surgeries performed; 7165 outreach patients served; 43 countries reached; 126 shipping containers dispatched

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• AirlinkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAirlink assists with logistical freight donations and volunteer flight coordination for CardioStart missions. They help arrange reduced-cost or donated flights for medical volunteers traveling to mission sites. Listed as a partner on the CardioStart Partners page.
• Southtowne Rotary (Eugene, OR)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouthtowne Rotary of Eugene, Oregon provides equipment preparation, donation coordination, and logistics management for CardioStart missions. Their volunteers assist with sorting, packing, and shipping medical supply containers. Acknowledged across multiple mission reports.
• GlobalGivingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCardioStart is listed on GlobalGiving.org, a charitable fundraising platform connecting nonprofits with donors worldwide. GlobalGiving facilitates online donations to CardioStart.
• Gift of Life Foundation (Rotary District 7490)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA Rotary-affiliated charity listed as a partner on the CardioStart Partners page, supporting cardiac surgery programs in underserved regions.
• NZS Worldwide ShippingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNZS Worldwide Shipping provides logistics and shipping support for CardioStart mission containers. Acknowledged in Dominican Republic mission reports.
• Arrhythmia AlliancemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArrhythmia Alliance partnered with CardioStart for the Ghana Accra mission in June 2025, providing funding allocation from ELS and logistical support for the mission.
• Nile of Hope Hospital (Alexandria, Egypt)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNile of Hope is a not-for-profit pediatric heart facility in Alexandria, Egypt that invited CardioStart to collaborate on a one-week pediatric cardiac surgery mission. CardioStart's Dr. Sameh Said (Egyptian-born, based in New Jersey) led the invitation for this mission focused on complex cases and ICU management training.
• Fundación El Cielo Para Los Niños del EcuadorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFundación El Cielo Para Los Niños del Ecuador is the local foundation that invites CardioStart to Ecuador and coordinates local logistics, including hotel, transportation, and security for the Guayaquil pediatric cardiac mission at Hospital del Nino Dr. Francisco de Icaza Bustamante.
• Fundación Heart Care Dominicana Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFundación Heart Care Dominicana is the local nationally recognized charity that invites CardioStart to the Dominican Republic. They coordinate clinical patients, hotel accommodations, internal transport, and support for pediatric and adult cardiac surgery missions at Clinica Corazones Unidos and Moderna Hospital in Santo Domingo.
• LASUTH (Lagos State University Teaching Hospital)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLASUTH invited CardioStart for a cardiac surgery camp in December 2025, focusing on developing its cardiovascular program. CardioStart has conducted multiple visits to build sustainable cardiac surgical capacity at this institution.
• JKCI (Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJKCI is the only dedicated cardiovascular institute in Tanzania and has invited CardioStart for multiple adult cardiac surgery missions. CardioStart conducted its seventh mission to JKCI in October 2025, with an eighth mission planned for 2026, focusing on aortic surgery and ICU management training.
• Hospital del Niño Dr. Francisco de Icaza Bustamante (Guayaquil, Ecuador)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA 442-bed children's hospital in Guayaquil that partners with CardioStart for pediatric cardiac surgery missions. Previously received gold-level accreditation by Accreditation Canada International. Despite quality facilities, the hospital lacks permanent cardiac surgery capacity and relies on visiting teams like CardioStart.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Partners In Health: Partners In Health operates long-term, capacity-building health systems in resource-poor countries, sharing CardioStart's training-and-sustainability approach but at far greater scale and breadth beyond cardiac care.
• Project HOPE: Project HOPE is a large global health nonprofit delivering volunteer medical care and training in low-resource settings, with a much broader portfolio but similar humanitarian-health delivery model.
• Samaritan's Purse — World Medical Mission: World Medical Mission places volunteer physicians (including surgeons) at partner hospitals globally — a broader humanitarian medical placement program that overlaps with CardioStart's international volunteer mission model.

Direct peers

• International Children's Heart Foundation (BabyHeart): BabyHeart runs volunteer-based pediatric cardiac surgery missions to developing countries, mirroring CardioStart's model of assembling short-trip teams and donating medical supplies — making it the most directly comparable peer.
• Children's HeartLink: Children's HeartLink partners with hospitals in low- and middle-income countries to train local teams in pediatric cardiac care, sharing CardioStart's capacity-building, training-first approach to underserved cardiac care.
• Open Heart International: Open Heart International organizes volunteer cardiac surgery missions to developing countries with a similar model of assembling specialist teams and donating supplies, making it a close operational peer.
• HeartCare International: HeartCare International runs short-term cardiac surgery mission trips to underserved regions, overlapping with CardioStart's core service line of volunteer-driven heart surgery in developing countries.
• Mending Hearts International: Mending Hearts International focuses on providing cardiac surgery and interventional cardiology in developing countries, sharing CardioStart's hybrid surgical-and-catheter mission model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/cardio_start
• Xx.com/cardio_start
• Facebookfacebook.com/CardioStartInternational
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cardiostart-international

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 CardioStart International