As a child, Youssef Helwa (MASc’17) was captivated by his mother’s experiences as a surgeon, listening to stories of the patients she cared for. Those early conversations sparked the vision that would eventually lead to FluidAI. The intersection of artificial intelligence and health care is evolving at an unprecedented pace, reshaping how medical professionals diagnose, monitor and treat patients. Nowhere is this transformation more evident than in post-operative care, where AI is enabling early prediction of complications and improving patient outcomes.
FluidAI, a Kitchener-Waterloo-based company, is at the forefront of this transformation, developing AI-powered monitoring systems that enhance surgical recovery worldwide.
“Surgeons have long sought a solution to the uncertainties of post-operative complications. Our answer was to develop a hardware platform that uses AI to provide immediate insights right at the bedside,” says Helwa, CEO and co-founder of FluidAI. “By delivering real-time data directly to the clinical setting, our platform helps facilitate early intervention and better patient care.’”
Expanding beyond hardware towards AI-powered software
Initially, FluidAI focused on a proprietary medical device that monitored patients for complications following abdominal surgery. While the device proved effective in early clinical studies, the company quickly recognized that integrating health record data to extend the capabilities of its hardware would enhance post-operative care beyond predicting post-operative leaks.
By integrating data from patient health records with proprietary data collected from its device, FluidAI dramatically improves the accuracy of detecting complications such as post-operative leaks. The AI-driven software may also enable the detection of sepsis and respiratory depression — two critical post-surgical concerns. Surgeons provided valuable feedback that further refined the system’s focus.
“One of the pivotal learnings was that surgeons needed to know which patients were not going to have a complication, so they could be discharged sooner,” Helwa says. “Clearing hospital backlogs and optimizing patient flow are just as crucial as early detection of patients who are more likely to have complications.”
Global expansion and regulatory milestones
FluidAI’s success has extended beyond its origins at Waterloo. In Canada, FluidAI is completing its first commercial deployment at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. The company has secured regulatory approvals across the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, and is actively selling in those markets. Regulatory approval in the United States is expected this year, further accelerating the company’s growth.
A growing presence in the Waterloo tech ecosystem
Headquartered in Kitchener-Waterloo, FluidAI remains deeply rooted in the region’s thriving medical technology ecosystem. The company resides within the Medical Innovation Xchange (MIX), an industry-led hub of medtech companies, and has since expanded its footprint within the MIX facility, taking on more office and manufacturing space. FluidAI’s hardware is manufactured and packaged in Canada, supporting its growing global reach from its Ontario base.
The company’s talent pipeline continues to draw from the University of Waterloo and the surrounding region, with most of its co-op and full-time employees coming from the Kitchener-Waterloo area. “Talent has been incredibly important,” Helwa says. “We’re still benefiting from the same ecosystem that helped us get started.”
In 2023, FluidAI secured a strong Series A funding round, raising nearly $15 million USD. This investment is fueling the company’s expansion, both in terms of nabbing market share and technological advancements. The company has also generated its first revenue since the funding round, a significant step towards long-term sustainability.
As AI continues to revolutionize health care, Waterloo remains a driving force behind cutting-edge medical innovations. This spring, the Digital Health 2025 conference, hosted in partnership with the University, will unite global leaders to foster collaboration, advance health tech solutions and shape the future of health.
