Australian medtech innovator Oli has secured AUD$6.5 million in a Series A3 funding round to advance its maternal and fetal monitoring technology. Supported by Scale Investors, Clare Ventures, and the University of Sydney, the funding aims to predict and prevent birth complications. This investment brings Oli's total private capital to $13 million, complementing over $9.5 million in grants.
A Personal Mission to Modernize Maternity Care
The genesis of Oli stems from the personal experience of founder Dr. Sarah McDonald following the traumatic birth of her son, Oliver. This event spurred the mechatronic engineer to develop technology to prevent similar ordeals for other families. Her research highlighted a critical gap where clinicians relied on limited, retrospective data rather than predictive insights.
For over six decades, maternal and fetal monitoring technology has seen little innovation, often proving unreliable and restrictive. Current devices can lose contact or cause unnecessary alarms, demanding constant attention from care teams and detracting from the patient experience. Oli was created to address these shortcomings by providing a more dependable and less intrusive solution.
Predictive Technology for Proactive Intervention
At the heart of the company's innovation is the Oli device, a wireless and wearable monitor that captures millions of physiological data points. It utilizes ten distinct biosensors to simultaneously track both maternal and fetal signs without restricting the mother's movement. This continuous data stream provides a comprehensive view of the health of both mother and baby.
The collected data is processed through Oli's patented predictive technology, which translates raw inputs into live, actionable clinical signals. This system identifies subtle patterns that often precede serious complications like postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) and fetal distress. The platform's intelligence grows with each birth it monitors, continually refining its predictive accuracy.
The initial clinical focus is on postpartum hemorrhage, a leading cause of preventable maternal death. Early simulations suggest Oli's technology can predict PPH onset at least an hour before birth, a significant improvement over current methods. This early warning could improve clinical response times by up to 58% and reduce severe interventions.
Accelerating Towards Commercial Launch
The new $6.5 million in funding is earmarked for several key milestones to bring the technology to market. A primary objective is completing a large-scale, 1000-patient pivotal clinical trial across seven sites in Australia and the United States. The company has already enrolled over 850 participants, demonstrating significant progress toward validating the device.
Securing regulatory approval is another critical step, and the funds will advance submissions with Australia's TGA and the U.S. FDA. Oli has already received a "Breakthrough Device Designation" from the FDA, which can help expedite the review process. The company also plans to establish its manufacturing operations and headquarters in Australia.
With these initiatives underway, Oli is preparing for a commercial launch in Australia and the United States by late 2027. The investment will also support the expansion of its current 15-person team across clinical, engineering, and commercial departments. This growth is essential to support the company's transition from development to a commercial enterprise.
Oli's advancement represents a significant step forward in a field of healthcare that has been historically underfunded and slow to innovate. By providing clinicians with predictive insights, the technology aims to transform reactive emergency responses into proactive, preventative care. Ultimately, the company's mission is to become an essential tool in every delivery room, improving outcomes for mothers and babies.