The Evolution of RespirAq

AUT alumna Dr Sandra Grau-Bartual's journey with RespirAq is one that's constantly evolving, drawing attention for its steady progress.

After successfully navigating the commercialisation process with AUT Ventures, RespirAq was launched in 2021, backed by a solid $1.5M investment from Outset Ventures, Icehouse Ventures, and Cure Kids Ventures.

In 2023, RespirAq received notable recognition when it was granted breakthrough device designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Active Humidifier product, a significant milestone for a startup originating from university research.

Now, RespirAq is back in the spotlight with news of an additional $3M in funding led by Kiwi venture capital firm Movac’s Emerge Fund 4. This investment provides Grau-Bartual with the opportunity to focus on scaling up manufacturing operations, marking another step forward for RespirAq's growth.

AUT Ventures Chief Executive, Michael Fielding is thrilled by RespirAq’s most recent development, “This is an incredible achievement given the tough venture funding environment at the moment in Aotearoa. Only the most promising ventures are getting funded – it’s a very strong validation of what RespirAq achieved with their first round of funding.”

RespirAq is an innovative waterless medical humidification technology involving a chemically-activated smart fabric.

Sandra Grau-Bartual and Professor Ahmed Al-Jumaily developed the technology behind RespirAq while Sandra was an AUT PhD student in the Faculty of Design and Creative Technologies, based in AUT’s Institute of Biomedical Technologies (IBTec). Sandra is supported by AUT alumna Dr Helen Cunningham whose PhD in health and industrial design was supervised by Professor Steve Reay, and former AUT researcher Matt Wilson, who was part of Professor Andrew Lowe’s MBIE Endeavour-funded research programme at IBTec before joining RespirAq.