Alva Health

Alva Health is a medical device company developing wearable systems for early detection of stroke. Its flagship product is a discreet, wrist-worn device that continuously monitors physiological motor asymmetry — including hemiparesis, weakness affecting one side of the body — and other symptom signatures associated with stroke onset, using AI/ML algorithms. When indicative signatures are detected, the system alerts caregivers and emergency responders within moments, with the aim of initiating emergency care without relying on the patient to recognize symptoms or call for help.

The company frames the problem around the time-critical nature of stroke treatment, citing that most stroke victims do not receive medical care in a timely manner, that more than half of stroke survivors are chronically disabled, and that the U.S. healthcare system spends over $53 billion annually on stroke-related hospital stays, treatment, rehabilitation, and lost productivity. Alva Health describes its wearables as patented and positions itself in remote stroke monitoring. The company also runs clinical research, including the MOVE Study, and in December 2023 recruited stroke survivors and healthy volunteers for a Dallas-Fort Worth study evaluating its wearable device.

Founding story

Alva Health was founded in 2017 by CEO Sandra Saldana and Chief Medical Officer Kevin Sheth, MD, with Chief Technical Advisor Hitten Zaveri, PhD, who is described as the innovator behind the company's core technology, as an additional co-founder. The company is a Yale University technology spinout, founded by a team of stroke experts, PhD scientists, and engineers. Saldana holds an MBA from the Yale School of Management, a PhD from UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, and a BA from Cornell University; Sheth is Division Chief of Yale Neurocritical Care and Emergency Neurology; Zaveri is an Associate Professor of Yale Neurology.

Business model

Alva Health is a medical device developer commercializing a wearable stroke-detection system. Development has been substantially funded through non-dilutive government research grants (NSF SBIR Phase I, II and IIB awards) alongside third-party investment, with the Phase IIB award intended to bridge research and commercialization.

Traction

Early traction has come from pilot deployments in senior living communities and remote patient monitoring studies, plus clinical research including the MOVE Study and a Dallas-Fort Worth study evaluating the wearable device with stroke survivors and healthy volunteers. The company has received multiple NSF SBIR awards and a series of competition awards and accelerator selections.

Latest developments

In June 2025, Alva Health announced a $500,000 NSF SBIR Phase IIB award to fund research and development on its wrist-worn stroke detection system, building on earlier Phase I and II awards. The company said the funding will support scaling product development, expanding technical and clinical validation, and preparing a 510(k) submission for initial commercialization. It was also named a Catalyst 2025 Finalist by the CTIA Wireless Foundation for its use of 5G and advanced wireless technology.