Halifax medical technology startup NovaResp, which is developing an algorithm to help manage sleep apnea, has added a new member to its board of directors: Raj Sodhi, who has extensive experience selling technology to treat the condition.

Sodhi co-founded Umbian, which sold software for tracking patients’ sleep habits and was acquired by San Diego-based ResMed in 2012. He stayed on at ResMed for another decade, where he spearheaded the global rollout of a software-as-a-service product for treating sleep apnea as president of the company’s SaaS unit.

“Raj is an expert business strategist with deep knowledge of the sleep health market and software technologies,” said NovaResp CEO Hamed Hanafi in a statement. “His presence on the board will accelerate NovaResp’s goal of significantly improving patient adherence by providing the gold standard AI-powered PAP (positive airway pressure) therapy, enabled by our innovative software, cMAP.”

NovaResp’s artificial intelligence software is meant to be compatible with any continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP machine — the medical equipment used to treat sleep apnea by forcing air into the user’s lungs. The system aims to predict sleep apnea events, during which a person stops breathing, and add air pressure proactively instead of reactively. The name cMAP stands for continuous management of airway pressure.

In January, NovaResp raised a $2 million funding round led by pre-seed venture capital firm Concrete Ventures in preparation for commercialization in 2024. Invest Nova Scotia also bought in, alongside angel investors, including several repeat backers. In a statement at the time, NovaResp described the raise as “seed plus funding” earmarked for research and development work, alongside a regulatory approval push.