Today is a momentous occasion in the life of a business that we created two and a half years ago. I’ll say that again, two and a half years ago! It is unbelievable to think and comprehend what we have achieved in such a short period of time.
When we created Artrya, my co-founder John Barrington and I set out with a strong motivation to create a company that had the sole purpose of saving lives. Sounds easy, but it has been one of the most challenging, complex, and fulfilling experiences I have had.
There’s a lot of life-saving that needs to be done these days. And our commitment to do our part to address the world’s largest cause of death is something we really felt the urge, the need, and the drive to tackle head-on.
Today we ring the bell, which will mark the day that Artrya Ltd is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange trading as AYA. And it is a great celebration of all that’s been achieved by us and the company over the last two and a half years.
Thinking back when I first met John four years ago through a mutual friend. We both had similar interests in artificial intelligence.
I still remember sitting at a cafe, both of us talking about AI, both having our own perspectives on it. But both of us thinking that AI would be the pathway for the future. Both for technology and, for better or worse, for humanity.
We decided we wanted to influence this future and figure out how we could use this technology for good. We spent the better part of 18 months researching several industries and exploring opportunities in which we could implement AI and build a solution that would change the world.
We decided that heart disease, because of its broad and wide-ranging impact on human health, was the path that we were going to take. We were introduced to Professor Girish Dwivedi during that time, and our stars aligned. His research was in the real disease that caused heart attacks. And our interest was in the technology that could solve this problem.
I am still amazed at what we managed to achieve in the six months following that meeting. With a very small technical team, we built our first Beta product. From there we went and raised another $2.8 million, at the height of COVID I might add…not the greatest time to look for money when the Australian Securities Exchange had its biggest ever drop the day after we released our Information Memorandum.
Fast forward another year. And we’ve managed to build a product that is now in pilots across Australia, we have global partnerships, and we are now preparing for international expansion.
We have a world-class team of over 30 people who continue to push the boundaries of what is possible. I am extremely proud of what you have all achieved. We would not have been able to do it without any of you. Each of you has a unique skillset that has allowed us to excel in all areas. You’ve helped us build a culture and a company that I’ve always dreamed of and that many other companies would be dreaming of. Our values epitomise the type of company and the type of people we are. We innovate, we are curious through in our innovation, we strive for excellence. We do all of this with integrity, and we always do what we say we’re going to do.
To all our shareholders that backed us in the beginning and took a risk by investing in us, I want to thank you for having the guts and the insight to back us, to believe in our vision and to continue to believe in that vision.
I would like to thank my business partner John Barrington. We have been through a titanium mountain (and back through it) together. We have had great and candid discussions and were always united in our vision. Onwards and upwards!
Finally, I’d like to thank my wife and my children, for supporting me through this massive journey. It’s been a phenomenal experience. It’s been a phenomenal time. There’s been a lot of highs and there’s been a lot of lows. You have stood by me and backed me through it all.
Few believed we could do this from Perth. It has been a mission of ours to highlight and showcase the strength and breadth of the talent we have access to here in Western Australia. And from Perth, we have now set the stage for a global product, but also shown that Perth is a city where world class tech can be developed.
And we’re not done yet. We have a big vision of saving lives by being the global standard in coronary heart disease diagnosis. That’s no mean feat.
As we close this chapter of being a private company and start this new one as a publicly listed company, I’m really excited for what lies ahead for us.
John Konstantopoulos
CO-FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PRODUCT