This audio is generated by AI, so pronunciation and expressions may not be fully accurate. The narration is only in English.
Adrian Ang's interest in digital health technology is rooted in his experience of childhood asthma. Growing up in Singapore, Ang suffered from childhood asthma, sometimes leading to emergency hospital visits. "During this journey, I saw the anxiety that my parents went through. And that's what really inspired me to start this company," says the CEO of Aevice Health.
Having outgrown his asthma, Ang was also keen to learn how the condition is currently monitored. "It's been more than 20 years since I experienced my last attack, yet the methods for assessing, treating and diagnosing asthma has not really changed much," he points out. "Most of it still happens in a clinic, with a doctor listening through a stethoscope."
The Singapore-based startup developed the AeviceMD, a smart stethoscope small enough to be comfortably worn during sleep. A wearable sensor is placed on the chest to listen to lung sounds and vital signs, then transmits the data securely to the cloud in real time—where it can be accessed by healthcare providers or caretakers through its connected platform.
Unlike traditional stethoscopes that provide only a snapshot in time, AeviceMD offers continuous, real-time monitoring of respiratory health from the patient's home. The company hopes its device will offer peace of mind—not just to patients themselves, but also to their caregivers, who often have limited visibility into the condition outside of clinic visits.
Ang emphasizes that AeviceMD is intended to complement doctors—not replace them. "There's a gap when doctors don't have the information to assess how the patient's condition is improving or deteriorating over time," he explains. "So, we provide objective, continuous data to support early interventions, improve care coordination and reduce the chances of hospital readmission. This really helps to reduce the charges and the burden of hospital readmission."
Aevice Health is now moving to the global stage. Having received FDA clearance for use in patients aged three and up from the United States Food and Drug Administration, the AeviceMD is already in use among American families. The device is also being used by leading institutions such as Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, one of the largest nonprofit academic medical centers in the U.S., and also an investor in Aevice Health.
Although AeviceMD was originally developed for children with asthma, the technology is now being used for adults with respiratory conditions such as COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).
"The two most common respiratory diseases in the world today are asthma and COPD, so that's exactly where we are targeting this technology," Ang points out.
Older patients are also the focus of the company's next stage of expansion—Japan. AeviceMD offers a scalable, patient-centered solution to support aging in place. With one of the world's most rapidly-aging populations, Japan's healthcare system is under increasing pressure.
"The mission really is to see how we can use wearable technology to help patients to age with dignity and to live comfortably in their homes," Ang says. "One of our strategies is to discover how we could give or add value to servicing elderly populations."
Having visited Tokyo multiple times, Ang has always been impressed with the city's efficiency and infrastructure. But beyond the practical appeal, what stands out most is the spirit of collaboration he has found among partners and investors in Tokyo. Aevice now counts three Tokyo-based investors among its shareholders, including A&D Company, Limited, and his company recently celebrated earning a patent for their technology in Japan.
Ang says that SusHi Tech Tokyo, the largest conference in Asia for startups, has provided invaluable opportunities for Aevice. His team first attended in 2023, which was pivotal for exposure to a diverse audience and for making connections that directly led to current collaborations in Japan. "We had some really great people visiting our booth and we also got to see some very interesting companies and technology," he recalls.
This positive experience brought Aevice back to Tokyo for SusHi Tech Tokyo again in May this year, with what Ang describes as "a more focused approach." The aim this time was to expedite local regulatory approval and explore how their technology can better serve the Japanese market. "We are keen to collaborate with strategic investors who are interested in helping us scale our solution, support market entry and participate in our upcoming investment round," he says.
Japan marks Aevice's first expansion into a non-English-speaking market. Ang feels fortunate to have team members in Singapore and partners in Tokyo who can communicate in each other's languages, and AI-powered translation tools have also supported communication. Moreover, he cites a strong sense of mutual trust as a cornerstone of the company's relationships in Japan.
"There are some similar values that we share; for example, how we want to conduct our business with transparency and integrity," Ang says. "I think that it's because of these shared values that we can trust our Japanese partners, and they can trust us. There's also a shared eagerness to innovate and improve lives, which makes the collaboration even more meaningful."
Ang envisions expanding the technology, addressing a wider range of respiratory illnesses and integrating with other digital health solutions, while always keeping people at the center. "Our focus is to partner with healthcare providers and health systems to actively look at how we can improve patient outcomes through continuous and proactive care," he says.
SusHi Tech Tokyo, short for Sustainable High City Tech Tokyo, is a Tokyo-based concept that aims to create sustainable new value by overcoming global urban challenges through cutting-edge technology, diverse ideas, and digital expertise.SusHi Tech Tokyo | Sustainable High City Tech Tokyo
