Healthtech startup Gardia has closed
an €8.5 million Series A round to support the expansion of its mobile
fall-detection emergency system for seniors. The round was led by European
venture capital firm Peak, with participation from amberra, the corporate
venture studio of Germany’s Cooperative Financial Group, and the butterfly
& elephant accelerator by GS1 Germany. Existing business angels and
investors BONVENTURE, Dieter von Holtzbrinck Ventures, and Beurer also
reinvested.
The funding comes as demographic
change continues to reshape healthcare needs across Europe. The EU is home to
around 97 million people aged 65 or older, a number expected to exceed 110
million by the mid-2030s. In Germany, where most seniors live independently in
private households, the preference to age at home increasingly coincides with a
shortage of care workers.
This development has intensified
demand for independent safety solutions. Millions of older adults in Germany
experience falls each year, and in many cases are unable to call for help.
Delayed assistance increases the risk of serious injury and long-term care
dependency, placing additional strain on healthcare systems.
Gardia has developed a mobile
emergency system specifically designed for seniors. The solution centres on a
discreet wristband with automatic fall detection that works both at home and on
the go, without requiring a smartphone. Hardware, software, application, and AI are
developed in-house and tailored to the needs of older users.
Marlon Besuch, co-founder and CEO of
Gardia, explained that reliable fall detection depends on highly advanced and
precise technological development:
At the same time, we see that many existing
emergency systems are not used in everyday life because they are stigmatising
or too complicated. Our goal was therefore to develop a technically excellent
solution that people are happy to wear and that reliably provides help when it
really matters.
The company has a five-figure active
user base across the DACH region, supported by strong retention and
reimbursement through German health insurance.
With the Series A funding, Gardia plans to scale
further across the DACH region, expand internationally, and strengthen its B2B
activities in the care and healthcare sectors.