Qualcomm India fund’s first pick: a startup aiming to use big data to stop epidemics

One of the highlights of Indian prime minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Silicon Valley last month was a meeting with executive chairman of chipmaker Qualcomm Dr. Paul Jacobs. This was part of a series of meetings with tech honchos to evangelize Indian startups and the government’s Digital India initiative.

Following the meeting, Qualcomm Ventures announced an India-specific fund of US$150 million for investing in startups. Today, Chennai-based healthcare startup Attune Technologies becomes the first to benefit from this new fund. It announced a series B funding round of US$10 million from Qualcomm Ventures along with the participation of existing investor Norwest Venture Partners. Attune had earlier raised US$6 million from Norwest in 2010 and US$1 million from Singapore-based angel investors between 2010 and 2012.

Attune brings Internet of Things to the healthcare industry. Its cloud-based software connects devices such as lab analyzers and ICU machines to the health network. This gives hospitals, clinics, and diagnostic labs instant access to data integrated from multiple sources.

Currently, 200 hospitals in India use the software. Attune plans to expand to Southeast Asia, West Asia, and Africa with the new funds.

Big data to stop the spread of an epidemic

Attune is also working with the Indian government on a project to collate machine data from all the health centers in a rural district to pinpoint where help needs to be provided. The startup believes this can prevent the spread of epidemics. There are numerous ways in which health officials can be empowered with analytical capabilities using big data.

“We are constantly innovating new solutions to make healthcare affordable, seamless, and efficient for the entire healthcare value chain,” says Arvind Kumar, founder & CEO of Attune Technologies.

The use of technology to enhance healthcare delivery fits in with the mandate of Qualcomm Ventures’ new fund. “Qualcomm aims to work closely with the Attune Technologies team as they address the digital divide in healthcare,” says Karthee Madasamy, Vice President of Qualcomm Ventures India.

Health tech has been getting a lot of investor attention in India this year, with close to US$250 million invested in 48 deals, according to data from venture capital analytics firm Tracxn. The biggest deal was doctor discovery app Practo, which raised US$120 million in two rounds of funding – the last one led by China’s Tencent – to expand to new markets as well as broaden its reach into all aspects of healthcare.

Have you used any of the new healthcare apps in India? And do you see tech making a big difference? Drop us a comment below.