Michael Wang, a former Green Beret turned senior‑care nurse, founded Inspiren after confronting the limitations of single‑resident monitoring. His experience revealed a need for an extra set of eyes in senior living, leading to an AI platform that uses ambient intelligence to anticipate falls and safety risks before they occur.
Inspiren announced a $70 million Series C financing round on Thursday, led by NewView Capital. The funding brings the startup’s total raised to $225 million and values the company at over $500 million.
Wang, who serves as Inspiren’s chief clinical officer, launched the company in 2016. The idea grew out of his years as a bedside geriatrics and cardiothoracic surgical nurse, where he saw how narrow the margin for error could be.
“I could only protect one resident at a time,” Wang said. “As soon as I walked out of that room, the safety of that resident was uncertain.”
Inspiren’s hardware, named AUGi (short for augmented intelligence), mounts on a resident’s wall and employs computer vision and sensors to detect movement patterns that often precede a fall. The system alerts caregivers proactively rather than reacting after an incident.
Unlike conventional camera‑based monitoring, AUGi processes all data locally, eliminating latency and the need to stream footage to the cloud. Inspiren manufactures its own hardware, giving the firm tighter control over how data is captured and processed.
Wang highlighted that the company’s clinical team is its strongest differentiator. A large group of clinical advisors and consultants meet with senior‑living communities weekly or biweekly to help them leverage the technology and data effectively.
The platform is bundled with clinical support, and Inspiren currently serves more than 500 senior‑living communities across the United States.
The new capital will be used to expand Inspiren’s go‑to‑market team, grow its hardware ecosystem, and advance its AI models to predict a broader range of resident needs. Plans also include deepening features such as staff optimization and a recently launched AI‑powered emergency call system.
Photo: MoMo Productions, Getty Images
