Respiraq
10 employees on LinkedIn · 4 known investors
RespirAq develops the RespirAq Active Humidifier System, a compact, battery-powered device that provides active heated humidification for mechanically ventilated patients without an external water supply, using a thermo-responsive smart material to capture and release moisture from the patient's breath. The product is designed for invasive and non-invasive ventilation across care settings in the respiratory care market.
Also known as RespirAq · RespirAq Limited
Investors · 4
Also in the syndicate · 1
Company profile
researched Aug 2026RespirAq is an Auckland, New Zealand-based medical device company commercialising an active airway humidification system for patients on invasive and non-invasive mechanical ventilation. Its RespirAq Active Humidifier (RAH) System is designed to deliver heated active humidification in a small, heat-and-moisture-exchanger-scale format that operates without an external water supply, heated circuits or the condensate those systems generate. The device is portable and battery-powered, and is engineered with low flow resistance and minimal dead space.
The system works in a three-stage cycle. During exhalation, a patented thermo-responsive smart fabric membrane captures moisture from the patient's exhaled breath; the material can switch between a super-hydrophilic state that captures moisture on expiration and a super-hydrophobic state that releases it on inspiration, a transition described as occurring within 100 milliseconds. Sensors detect inhalation and trigger a heating element that warms the material and incoming gas, releasing the stored moisture and heat back into the breathing circuit to condition inspired gas towards body temperature. The company's core intellectual property covers the smart fabric membrane and the heating system.
The company frames the clinical problem as a trade-off between passive humidification (convenient but performance-limited) and traditional heated humidifiers (effective but bulky, water-dependent and prone to circuit condensation), citing literature that ventilator-associated pneumonia adds roughly US$25,000 per patient in costs.
Founding story
Founder and CEO Dr Sandra Grau-Bartual, a Spanish-born chemical engineer who studied in Spain and completed a masters in Belgium before moving to New Zealand, co-invented the smart fabric while completing her PhD under Professor Ahmed Al-Jumaily at AUT. She has described the insight as treating medical humidification as a chemistry problem — how to controllably bond and release large numbers of water molecules — rather than the physics problem it had traditionally been considered.
Business model
Development and commercialisation of a proprietary medical device system for respiratory humidification, built on patented smart-material and heating intellectual property.
Traction
Completed an in-hospital feasibility study with Waikato Hospital in 2021. Study results have been presented at the American Thoracic Society meeting (May 2022), the American Association for Respiratory Care Congress (November 2023), and the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine meeting (October 2025, two bench-test presentations covering absolute humidity delivery and flow resistance versus cleared devices).
Latest developments
In October 2025 the company presented two bench-test studies at the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine meeting, comparing absolute humidity delivered and flow resistance of its system against cleared humidification devices and heat and moisture exchangers. Its April 2024 NZ$3 million raise, led by Movac's Emerge Fund 4, was described as the first close of a fundraising round.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
Positions the RAH System as bridging passive heat and moisture exchangers and traditional heated humidifiers, offering active humidification performance with the small footprint, simplicity and portability of passive devices.
Active heated humidification without an external water supply or heated circuits, in a compact HME-scale, portable, battery-powered form factor with no circuit or filter condensate.
Technology
A patented thermo-responsive 'smart fabric' membrane paired with a sensing and heating system. The membrane switches between super-hydrophilic and super-hydrophobic states within about 100 milliseconds, absorbing moisture from exhaled breath and releasing it, together with heat, into inspired gas when sensors detect inhalation. This removes the need for a water reservoir, heated breathing circuits and associated tubing and sensors, and eliminates condensate in the circuit and filter. The product is packaged at HME scale, is battery powered and is designed for low resistance and minimal dead space.
Go-to-market
The company solicits clinician engagement, strategic partnerships and investor contact through its website, and presents clinical and bench data at respiratory and intensive care conferences.
Hospitals and other care settings treating patients on invasive and non-invasive mechanical ventilation, including intensive care and long-term or transitional respiratory care where patients move between environments.
Geography
Headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand, with origins at Auckland University of Technology and clinical work conducted with Waikato Hospital; research findings presented at conferences in the United States and Europe.
History
RespirAq was spun out of Auckland University of Technology to commercialise respiratory humidification technology arising from more than ten years of research by Professor Ahmed Al-Jumaily at the AUT Institute of Biomedical Technologies. Commercialisation was led by AUT Ventures, which secured NZ$450,000 from KiwiNet in 2019 (matched by internal investment) and a further NZ$169,000 from New Zealand's Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment in 2020 under COVID-19 Innovation Acceleration Funding, used to support a clinical study and adapt the technology for hospital applications. In 2021 the team completed an in-hospital feasibility study with Waikato Hospital. In 2022 the company raised NZ$1.5 million from Outset Ventures, Icehouse Ventures and Cure Kids Ventures, and in April 2024 announced a NZ$3 million first close led by Movac's Emerge Fund 4.
Risks & controversies
The April 2024 first close of NZ$3 million took nearly a year to complete, described in press coverage as a test of perseverance for the company.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 8
launches, deals, and filingsPresentations comparing absolute humidity delivered by cleared humidification devices with the RespirAq system, and flow resistance in two cleared heat and moisture exchangers versus the RespirAq system, at the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine meeting.
Respiraq raised NZ$3 million in the first close of its fundraising round, led by New Zealand venture capital firm Movac's Emerge Fund 4; the raise took nearly a year to complete.
Presentation of 'A Novel Active Airway Humidifier for Non-Invasive Ventilated Patients' at the American Association for Respiratory Care Congress.
Presentation of 'A Novel Active Airway Humidification Technology (RespirAq) for Invasively Ventilated Patients: A Feasibility Study'.
RespirAq secured NZ$1.5 million in investment from Outset Ventures, Icehouse Ventures and Cure Kids Ventures.
The RespirAq team completed an in-hospital feasibility study in collaboration with Waikato Hospital, with results reported as showing safety and efficacy of the RespirAq Active Humidifier.
AUT Ventures won NZ$169,000 from New Zealand's Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment as part of COVID-19 Innovation Acceleration Funding, used for a clinical study and to advance the technology for hospital applications.
AUT Ventures secured NZ$450,000 from KiwiNet in 2019 to support commercialisation of the RespirAq technology, an amount matched by internal investment.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- Respiraqrespiraq.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Respiraq do?
- New Zealand medtech developing a waterless, battery-powered active humidifier for mechanically ventilated patients.
- Who are Respiraq's investors?
- Respiraq's investors include Even Capital, Movac, Outset Ventures.