Technology is rapidly changing the way people view so many aspects of their lives
From IoT to data management, healthtech is quickly becoming prevalent. Smartphone apps can help manage chronic illness or mental health. IoT can help of the elderly. We can even prevent the onset of illnesses with the right data and employ preventive measures. This growth is evident in Asia, where investments in Asian health startups jumped from 21 deals in 2013 to 136 in 2016, according to the Tech in Asia database.
If you have yet to incorporate tech into your health and wellness regimes, here are 10 startups in Asia with tech to help you get started.
1. Prenetics
Prenetics is all about taking the guess work out of prescriptions to avoid incorrect dosages or adverse reactions. Their main test, called iGenes, samples a user’s DNA to help physicians find exactly the right medicine to prescribe at the right dose.. Another feature of the app helps the user follow the treatment through to the end.
Based in Hong Kong, Prenetics is focused on markets in developing countries like China, where an estimated 190,000 deaths occur each year from adverse drug reactions. The company raised Series A to improve its AI and resources for both patients and physicians.
2. PolicyPal
Regular checkups and hospital visits are essential elements of staying healthy. However, navigating the world of health insurance to help you pay for all that healthcare can be extremely tricky – co-pays, premiums, pre-existing coverage, and all that paperwork. PolicyPal uses optical character recognition tech to read documents and artificial intelligence to sift out important details.
From Singapore’s finTech scene, PolicyPal currently has 9,000 users, showing that people are ready to have someone take a second look at all their documents. As of early March 2017, US$4.3 million worth of premiums have been uploaded on the app.
3. Inayo
Startup Inayo can help to manage health issues, such as diabetes. Based in India, Inayo has an app for managing diabetes with artificial intelligence. The app acts as a personal diabetes consultant, helping those diagnosed with the disease track activity, food intake, and glucose levels. Users can set alerts for anything they need.
Inayo also has a blog with health tips and provides a social network to connect those with the disease.
Story continues after the sponsor’s message:
Are you a startup creating an impact in the consumer health and wellness space, and are looking to test your solutions and go to market with a product aimed at addressing actual commercial problems?
KPMG Digital Village is supporting a number of organizations in Asia with their co-innovation accelerator programs. These programs will culminate with a Demo Day, after which there is a real opportunity to continue into the pilot and implementation stage.
If you feel that you are made for this challenge, apply now! Registration closes 31 March 2017, 23:59 (GMT +8).
4. Touchkin
There’s stigma surrounding mental health issues as well as a lack of knowledge on how to seek help. Touchkin is working on overcoming that.
Touchkin, is an “emotionally intelligent” AI platform. Their chatbot Wysa interacts with users like a concerned friend asking users about their day. The chatbot teaches techniques like mindfulness, meditation, or positive thinking, depending on what the user tells it. It’s sensitive to signs of depression and will recommend seeing a doctor if it senses the need for more serious help.
5. Zennya
Based in Manila, self-funded Zennya is based on the idea that if users can order products and services for their minds and bodies as easily as they can call an Uber for a ride, they definitely would.
Zennya brings licensed massage therapists to users’ doorsteps after they place an order on the app. With a five-star rating system that helps users vet therapists before massage sessions, Zennya creates trust in both the therapist and the app.
The app has had 24,000 downloads since its launch in January 2017 and has a 2,200-strong customer base. 1,800 users turn to Zennya monthly to book around 1.7 times a month.
6. BookDoc
Bookdoc from Malaysia launched in 2015 as a one-stop app for wellness information. It lets patients locate local doctors and hospitals. The app is integrated with travel, ride-hailing, and hotel booking apps. On top of the main app, BookDoc Active encourages users to stay fit and provides rewards for them to do so. The app also helps corporates monitor their employees’ health and manage medical and wellness benefits.
The startup has done so well that it has attracted investments from Prince Abdul Qawi, a nephew of the Brunei sultan, and casino mogul Stanley Ho.
7. HaloDoc
HaloDoc launched in Indonesia in early 2016 to bring basic healthcare information online. People can access online consultations, medicine delivery, hospitals and doctor directories, and an appointment scheduler. With strategic partnerships with other tech companies, HaloDoc is a full-service health information provider.
HaloDoc currently has over 18,600 doctors in their directories, over 1,000 partner pharmacies, and around 75,000 downloads.
8. Well.PK
Another part of being well and healthy is having access to authentic and affordable products. Well.pk in Pakistan aims to give that peace of mind to consumers. The company is a health and wellness online marketplace, selling products related to fitness, vitamins, appliances, and medical devices. It has over 4,000 items for sale and is quickly growing at 26 percent month-on-month.
Well.pk’s sister site Dawaai, is an online pharmacy. Likewise, it’s focused on ensuring that users know their medicines are authentic and providing genuine products to improve the health and wellbeing of its users.
9. BoxGreen
Ah, snacking. The downfall of even the most ardent fitness enthusiast. Based in Singapore, BoxGreen is making snacks healthy. Launched in May 2015, BoxGreen offers subscribers a monthly offering of healthy, portion-controlled snacks. They have a customer base of over 2,000 users and have seen revenue grow tenfold year-on-year since they first launched. They also try to use environmentally friendly materials for all their packaging.
10. VitalSmith
Korea-based tech company VitalSmith developed B-Bless, an app focused on helping women know their cycles and fertility periods better – essential information for any woman trying to conceive. A simple saliva test allows the app to analyze salt crystals in saliva, which change depending on a woman’s hormones.
Whether users are looking for a way to eat better, exercise more, or know more about health – there’s almost definitely an app for that here in Asia. We need it. In 2015, 153.2 million adults in Asia suffered from diabetes – more than double that of Europe. 60 percent of tuberculosis cases also occur in Asia.
The good news is that many healthtech companies are using technology to improve the well-being of consumers. No one has cracked the formula to eradicating the ways we damage our health, but with innumerable innovators on the case, it won’t be long before someone does.
This post 10 health and wellness startups to watch in Asia appeared first on Tech in Asia.