TidalSense Secures $19M to Transform Respiratory Diagnostics Starting with a COPD Breath Test to Cut Patient Wait Times

TidalSense, the respiratory intelligence company, led by Dr Ameera Patel, Dr Julian Carter, and the team, has announced a $19 million funding round to accelerate commercialisation in the UK and support globalisation of the technology, including to the USA. The round includes investment from new investor Cross-Border Impact Ventures (a North American health tech impact fund), and returning investors BGF (the UK's most active growth capital investor), Airstream Capital, and Foresight Group.

More than 600,000 people in the UK are currently waiting for a formal COPD diagnosis, with traditional spirometry testing requiring specialist training, forceful breathing, and up to an hour per patient.

TidalSense has developed N-Tidal Diagnose, a handheld device that enables patients to breathe normally for just 75 seconds while capturing a CO₂ waveform (capnogram). AI models then analyze the data to detect COPD. The device can be used by any healthcare professional with minimal training, increasing diagnostic capacity from around one patient per hour with spirometry to 4–6 patients per hour.

COPD is the UK's third leading cause of death, claiming around 30,000 lives each year and costing the NHS an estimated £1.9 billion annually. Limited spirometry capacity has left more than half of NHS regions unable to meet demand, while an estimated 1.9 million people are living with the disease. Delayed diagnosis also contributes to higher emergency hospital admissions and poorer patient outcomes.

N-Tidal Diagnose was developed to address this gap. Its AI models have been trained on more than 2.5 million patient breaths and achieved over 90% diagnostic performance across key accuracy metrics in post-market validation. In 2025, it became the first non-spirometry AI diagnostic device to receive CE marking under EU MDR (Class IIa) for COPD and has since been deployed across multiple NHS regions, including Suffolk, North-East Essex, NHS Wales, community lung screening programs in southern England, and Glasgow.

TidalSense believes respiratory disease has long been underserved despite affecting one in five people worldwide. With COPD now recognized by the World Health Organization as a global health priority, the company aims to modernize diagnosis by replacing outdated, specialist-dependent testing with accessible AI-powered technology.

By eliminating the need for complex equipment and specialized training, TidalSense seeks to improve access to COPD diagnosis, particularly for underserved and lower-income communities, and is beginning that rollout through the NHS.

Early NHS deployments suggest N-Tidal Diagnose can expand access to COPD diagnosis while improving both patient and clinician experience. Healthcare providers report that the device's simple, normal-breathing test makes it suitable for a wider range of patients than traditional spirometry, enabling earlier and more accessible diagnosis.

Clinicians have also highlighted shorter appointments, straightforward implementation, and positive patient feedback, with the technology helping improve service efficiency and deliver timely, high-quality respiratory care.

Clinicians say N-Tidal Diagnose is helping make COPD diagnosis more accessible by enabling testing in community settings rather than relying solely on hospital-based spirometry. Its quick, easy-to-administer test supports high-throughput screening, allowing healthcare teams to assess more people, particularly those who may struggle with conventional lung function testing, and identify patients who need further respiratory evaluation earlier.

The funding will accelerate TidalSense's commercial expansion across the UK, Ireland, and Europe, support preparations for entry into the US market, and advance its AI diagnostic platform into additional respiratory conditions such as asthma. The company also plans to expand its commercial and operations teams.

New investor Cross-Border Impact Ventures backed the company based on its potential to scale AI-powered respiratory diagnostics into underserved global markets, aligning with TidalSense's ambition to improve COPD diagnosis worldwide.

Asthma + Lung UK believes faster, more accessible respiratory diagnostics are essential to improving patient outcomes. With diagnostic tools seeing little innovation in more than two decades, the organization says new technologies can help reduce delays, enable earlier treatment, and improve access to care for the millions of people living with lung conditions in the UK.

Investors believe TidalSense combines strong clinical evidence with proven real-world deployment, positioning the company to expand access to COPD diagnosis globally, particularly for underserved populations. Alongside the funding, TidalSense has strengthened its leadership team with senior hires in market access, medical technology, and healthcare investing to support its next phase of international growth, including expansion into the US market.