Though it may qualify as one of the medical industry’s “less glamorous” fields, urine analysis is a critical tool in identifying common medical concerns such as dehydration and urinary tract infection (UTI).
Despite its importance, the process of driving all the way to a hospital, doctor’s office or clinic and relieving oneself into a cup can be messy and inconvenient enough to keep people from checking in on their urinary health.
The Israeli med-tech start-up Olive Diagnostics, however, has developed a clean and simple way to easily analyze urine. It involves a toilet-mounted device that links to an artificial-intelligence-driven app, which monitors users’ urine in midstream and alerts them of any potential concerns. No travel, no mess and – perhaps most importantly – no need to leave a cup of urine on the windowsill outside the medical center bathroom.
Olive’s idea is so golden, in fact, that the company has extended its seed funding round to $7.3 million after raising an additional $1.5m. from existing investors and private investors. Pre-seed investors include Maccabi Healthcare Services, Mayo Clinic, eHealth Ventures, Amgen Ventures and the Israel Innovation Authority, alongside European and American private investors.
Olive Diagnostics was founded in 2019 by CEO Guy Goldman and Corey Katz. The start-up’s team includes experts in biochemistry, chemistry, physics, data analytics, optics and business development for the health and wellness markets.
Olive KG, the flagship product
The company’s flagship product, Olive KG, waits patiently in users’ toilet bowls for the chance to offer real time data analysis of red blood cells, proteins, ketones, nitrite, pH and a host of other elements found in urine. It also measures volume, pressure, color and frequency of urination.
Earlier this year, Olive Diagnostics received the European Union’s CE Marking for its proprietary product, Olive KG, as a medical device. Following the approval, Olive received first orders for the product from two European organizations.
“The milestone of receiving the CE Marking provides validation for our vision and technology and paves the way for us to enter the European market,” said Goldman. “Olive KG is already installed at several assisted living facilities in Holland, and we believe that our device will transform medical care to one of non-invasive prevention, aiding patients and healthcare providers to detect diseases earlier, even before symptoms appear.”
In April, Olive released Olive WatchOS, a free Apple Watch app bringing the AI-based urine analysis results to smart watches.
“Future applications for the effective use of this data by medical practitioners working in conjunction with those under their care are endless,” said Goldman. “We are looking forward to working with caregivers in this industry to see how we can take further steps to automate the collection of this new data source.”