Hilo Launches the World's First Blood Pressure Health System, Turning Snapshots into Patterns

Hilo brings a new era of blood pressure awareness, turning insights from snapshots into long-term, informative intelligence

NEW YORK, July 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Hilo, a health technology brand developed by Aktiia, today announced the U.S. launch of Hilo Core, a first-of-its-kind system designed to deliver long-term blood pressure insights and empower individuals to better understand their heart health.

Blood pressure is one of the most important indicators of long-term cardiovascular risk, yet it remains widely misunderstood and under-monitored in daily life, according to the CDC. Traditional methods rely on occasional cuff-based readings, providing only limited snapshots in time. Hilo introduces a new approach by transforming blood pressure monitoring into a long-term, data-driven experience and creating a new category between traditional cuff-based monitors and consumer wearables.

"Hilo stands out from a clinical perspective because it makes it easier for individuals with hypertension to understand and manage a condition that often goes unnoticed," said Dr. Marat Fudim, Associate Professor of Cardiology at Duke University and medical advisor to Hilo. "High blood pressure is frequently asymptomatic, yet over time it can lead to serious complications like heart disease and stroke. By providing consistent, longitudinal insights, Hilo Core helps both individuals with hypertension and clinicians better understand how lifestyle and treatment decisions are impacting blood pressure, enabling earlier, more informed intervention."

Originally developed in Switzerland and backed by more than two decades of research, Hilo's underlying technology has been validated through eight clinical studies and is already used by more than 200,000 people globally. The U.S. launch marks a significant milestone in expanding access to more comprehensive insights, as studies from the American Heart Association show that nearly half of U.S. adults have high blood pressure.

"Hilo represents a fundamental shift in how we approach blood pressure, especially in the U.S., where nearly half of adults live with hypertension and many remain undiagnosed or undertreated," said Stefan Petzinger, CEO of Hilo by Aktiia. "For too long, blood pressure has been measured in isolated moments, leaving critical gaps in understanding. By moving to long-term, real-world insights, we're empowering people and their care teams to take earlier, more informed action and fundamentally change how cardiovascular health is managed. And not only does Hilo provide a more comprehensive view it also puts less daily dependency on the inflatable cuff, a technology developed in 1881 that is not exactly most convenient and comfortable in day-to-day life. "

Hilo Core combines a lightweight wearable band, mobile app, and FDA-cleared connected cuff into a unified blood pressure monitoring system, continuously capturing physiological signals to generate ambient insights using proprietary optical technology and advanced algorithms. Calibrated and validated by periodic cuff readings, Hilo Core moves beyond point-in-time measurements to deliver long-term trend data, capturing 30–35 readings per day, including critical overnight insights, and contextualizes them with sleep, steps, and heart rate to provide a more comprehensive view of health and wellness and patterns that may signal emerging risks.

Hilo's underlying Optical Blood Pressure Monitoring (OBPM^®) technology uses photoplethysmographic (PPG) signals collected at the wrist to estimate blood pressure without the need for frequent cuff inflation. This approach enables a more seamless, low-friction user experience and supports ongoing visibility into blood pressure trends over time.

The platform has also demonstrated meaningful real-world impact through what it calls the "Hilo Effect." In a large-scale study of more than 30,000 users, greater engagement with the similar European version of the Hilo app, drove up to fivefold greater reductions in systolic blood pressure over six months compared to less engaged users.

Hilo Core is designed as a wellness product to support awareness and lifestyle optimization, with plans to expand into a regulated medical platform in the future.

The company also recently secured a Series B extension round, totaling $19 million in new funding and bringing its total funding to date to over $119 million. The round included new investment from Dell Family Office, the family investment office of Michael Dell, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Dell Technologies, alongside continued support from existing backers, reinforcing confidence from leading global technology investors as Hilo expands into the U.S. market.

The system will be available nationwide beginning July 21, 2026 via Hilo.com and Amazon. Hilo Core is priced at $89.99 for the hardware, with a $149.99 annual subscription, totaling $239.98 for the first year. It's also pre-approved for HSA and FSA eligibility, making it more accessible for U.S. consumers seeking preventive health and wellness tools.

About Hilo
Hilo by Aktiia is a health technology brand dedicated to transforming how people understand their blood pressure. As the world's first complete blood pressure health system, Hilo Core combines a wearable sensor, FDA-cleared cuff measurements, and a connected digital experience to provide ongoing visibility into blood pressure patterns and the factors that influence them, including sleep, activity, heart rate, and daily habits. Founded in Switzerland and built on more than 20 years of research and development, Hilo by Aktiia is pioneering a new category between traditional blood pressure monitoring and consumer wellness wearables, empowering individuals with deeper insights into cardiovascular health and greater awareness of hypertension, the world's leading silent killer. For more information, visit hilo.com.

Disclaimer: Hilo Core is not a medical device and has not been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The information provided by Hilo Core is not intended for diagnosis, treatment, cure, mitigation, or prevention of disease, should not be used for clinical decision-making, and should not replace an FDA-cleared medical device.

Media Contact
FACTORY PR
[email protected]

SOURCE Hilo