Current topics | Collaboration

MoniCardi partners with ESA Business Incubation Centre

Published on 5.6.2025

Tampere University

Two persons standing in a futuristic room. There's a mannequin between them wearing a white ESA spacesuit.

Matias Kanniainen and Esa Räsänen at ESA Business Incubation Centre on 3 June.Photo: Marc Gavaldà

MoniCardi Ltd, a spin-off from Tampere University and a start-up company specialising in advanced cardiac health monitoring technology, has been accepted through a competitive open call to the European Space Agency Business Incubation Centre (ESA BIC). The aim of this partnership is to leverage ESA BIC’s expertise in space technology and innovation to accelerate the development of MoniCardi’s algorithms for enhanced cardiac care.

The recently announced collaboration between MoniCardi and ESA BIC will focus on optimising signal processing by utilising ESA technology, aiming to improve both accuracy and real-time risk detection for consumer and medical applications. This initiative is expected to advance preventive healthcare and remote monitoring capabilities, not only in everyday use but also in demanding and extreme environments.

Esa Räsänen, CEO of MoniCardi and Professor of Physics at Tampere University, says they are thrilled to partner with ESA BIC:

“ESA BIC’s pioneering work in space technology is a great asset in our mission to revolutionise cardiac health monitoring. This opportunity enables us to leverage ESA’s space technologies – together with our partners such as Suunto and Cardiolex – to further enhance our biosignal analytics,” Räsänen says.

Teemu Pukkila, CTO of MoniCardi and Doctoral Researcher at Tampere University, explains that despite their different starting points, wearable and space technologies share many similarities:

“In space, signal processing is performed on large amounts of data using old and limited hardware. Similarly, in wearable devices, we optimise for energy consumption and small size. By leveraging ESA’s patents and technology, we aim to optimise our signal processing capabilities, enhancing the performance and efficiency of our wearable devices,” Pukkila says.

“This collaboration not only highlights our commitment to innovation but also underscores the importance of cross-industry partnerships in driving technological advancements. By working with ESA BIC, we aim to bring new innovations to cardiac health monitoring, ultimately benefiting patients and healthcare providers alike,” adds Matias Kanniainen, CMO of MoniCardi and Doctoral Researcher at Tampere University.

The partnership is backed by significant funding of €90,000 and strategic support from ESA BIC and Business Finland, ensuring that MoniCardi’s technology remains at the forefront of the industry. Together, MoniCardi and ESA BIC are set to transform the landscape of cardiac care, making advanced health monitoring more accessible and effective.