Akara has raised $5.5m to expand its privacy-preserving AI technology for hospitals, grow its Irish team and accelerate adoption in Ireland, the UK and US.
Akara, a Trinity College Dublin spin-out developing AI for hospital operations, has raised $5.5 million in venture funding, bringing its total funding to $12.3 million.
The company is developing technology designed to help hospitals reduce administrative workloads, coordinate services and increase the number of patients they can treat. Its platform combines privacy-preserving sensors with AI tools and robotics, with technology already deployed in hospitals across Ireland, the UK and US.
“We believe it could be a disruptive force in healthcare”
The latest funding round was led by Locke Health, with participation from VTC Ventures, the EIC Fund, CommonKind and NovaVector Holdings. Existing investors ACT, Atlantic Bridge and Enterprise Ireland also participated, alongside a number of strategic angel investors.
Akara will use the investment to accelerate hospital adoption of its technology, expand its operations and engineering teams in Ireland and develop its AI agents for a wider range of healthcare applications.
KEY NUMBERS: Akara
• $12.3m total funding raised to date
• 40% of nursing time spent on routine administration and coordination
• Three markets: technology deployed across Ireland, UK and US
• Eight institutional investors participating in the latest round
• Three existing backers: ACT, Atlantic Bridge and Enterprise Ireland
• On-device AI: clinical activity interpreted locally
• Thermal sensing: no detailed visual images of patients or staff
• Irish expansion: operations and engineering teams set to grow
Editorial takeaway: Akara is using fresh capital to turn privacy-focused hospital intelligence into scalable automation across three markets.
Tackling pressure on hospital capacity
Akara is targeting operational pressures inside hospitals at a time when growing demand for care, staff shortages and rising costs are putting greater strain on resources.
As much as 40% of nursing time is spent on routine administrative and coordination tasks, according to the company. These include manual data entry, scheduling, phone calls and repeated checks on whether rooms, patients and teams are ready.
Akara’s wall-mounted sensors automatically capture how clinical spaces are being used. Its software detects key events and notifies staff when they are needed, while AI agents allow employees to ask questions about the resulting data in natural language and generate reports.
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Privacy is central to the technology. Akara combines thermal sensing with edge AI, using thermal data to understand activity without capturing detailed visual images of patients or staff.
The AI required to interpret the data runs directly on the device, allowing events to be detected locally and limiting the transmission of sensitive information. The approach also reduces the need for additional computing infrastructure.
“Hospitals are under enormous pressure to do more with the people and resources they already have,” explained Dr Conor McGinn, co-founder and CEO of Akara. “We want to give staff time back and help hospitals treat more patients. To achieve that sustainably and at scale, the technology has to protect privacy, be straightforward to deploy and affordable. Combining thermal sensing with AI that runs on the device makes those goals central to how our technology works.”
Building physical AI for hospitals
Akara sees its technology as a foundation for physical AI in hospitals, where systems can understand activity taking place in clinical environments and help coordinate subsequent tasks.
By connecting hospital operational data with AI agents and robotics, the company plans to automate a growing range of activities, including reporting, scheduling support and coordination across clinical spaces.
The business was founded by a team of engineers and scientists from Trinity College Dublin. Its founders previously developed Stevie, a social robot that featured on the cover of TIME magazine.
Akara is now applying that experience in sensing, AI and robotics to everyday hospital operations.
The company’s new investors include organisations with a strong focus on healthcare. Locke Health is led by healthcare executives with experience at Cerner and Oracle Health, while VTC Ventures is part of the Virginia Tech Carilion ecosystem. The round also includes the EIC Fund, the venture capital arm of the European Innovation Council.
“Our team brings deep experience in healthcare commercialisation and a clear understanding of what hospitals need to adopt new technology,” said Patrick Brennan, managing director of Locke Health.
“Akara stands out for its potential to deliver a compelling return on investment without placing heavy demands on hospital budgets, infrastructure or staff. We believe it could be a disruptive force in healthcare, and we’re excited to help the team turn that potential into widespread adoption and measurable impact.”
James Ramey, Managing Director of VTC Ventures, said: “Hospitals need AI that can deliver practical improvements without adding significant cost or integration complexity. The progress in ambient documentation offers an encouraging example, and we see substantial potential in extending that intelligence to activity across clinical spaces. Akara makes this more accessible through thermal sensing and on-device AI, addressing critical privacy concerns while creating a pathway for robots to support teams with physical tasks.”
With the new investment secured, Akara plans to grow its Irish team while increasing adoption of its technology in hospitals. Its broader goal is to help healthcare providers turn operational information into automation that can improve the delivery of everyday care.
Image at top: Akara founding team Conor McGinn, Cian Donovan, Niamh Donnelly, Michael Cullinan and Eamonn Bourke
FAQ: Akara’s $5.5m funding and hospital AI expansion
What does Akara do?
Akara develops AI technology for hospital operations, combining privacy-preserving sensors, AI agents and robotics to reduce administrative work, coordinate services and help hospitals treat more patients.
How much funding has Akara raised?
Akara has raised $5.5 million in its latest venture funding round, bringing its total funding to $12.3 million.
Who invested in Akara’s latest funding round?
The round was led by Locke Health, with VTC Ventures, the EIC Fund, CommonKind and NovaVector Holdings participating alongside ACT, Atlantic Bridge, Enterprise Ireland and strategic angel investors.
How does Akara protect privacy in hospitals?
Akara combines thermal sensing with edge AI. Its sensors understand activity without capturing detailed visual images of patients or staff, while the AI required to interpret the data runs directly on the device.
What will Akara use the new funding for?
Akara will use the funding to accelerate hospital adoption, expand its operations and engineering teams in Ireland, and advance its AI agents across a wider range of healthcare applications.
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