BrainGear Develops SleePYA, the Digital Healthcare for Brain Rehabilitation and Sleep Aid

SEOUL, South Korea, Feb. 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — As startup engaging in digital healthcare business, especially brain rehabilitation and sleep aid, BrainGear has developed SleePYA with infrared light to stimulate the brain to induce quality of sleep.


BrainGear’s SleePYA

SleePYA is not a medical device, but a general-purpose electronic system available for anyone. Wearing a helmet equipped with infrared LEDs, it induces healthy sleep with light stimulation for about 20 minutes.

“People who suffer from sleep disorders and insomnia usually try to get help by taking sleeping pills or changing pillows and beds,” said Dr. Kim Il-Ku. “BrainGear’s SleePYA has a basic mechanism using light to directly stimulate the brain, giving it the advantage of being more proactive than passive approaches to insomnia.”

In December 2023, the Company released a corporate advertisement at a local broadcaster, reaching a total of 13 million viewers. BrainGear is currently planning a pilot project with nursing homes and brain rehabilitation centers in South Korea in the first half of 2024.

“In October, we set up an independent booth at Expand North Star 2023 in Dubai,” said a BrainGear’s representative. “We met with investors, healthcare organizations, and government agencies from the Middle East and Europe to discuss market entry in 2024. We had about 700 visitors over three days and four nights, and it was a big hit.”

The company raised KRW 1.8B in funding in 2021 and is currently proceeding with a Series A round of about KRW 4B.

“I decided to start my own business with the goal of giving ack to society what I’ve learned and experienced,” said Dr. Kim. “I started reading about patients and families suffering from dementia, Alzheimer’s, and other brain disorders, and I turned to the top scientific journal Science. When I read an article in Science that infrared light can penetrate the brain, I got the idea of phototherapy. I realized that if I could combine the fields I had studied, such as physics, chemistry, and electronics, brain could be also restored as for other injured body parts. We received KRW 100M in initial investment from Big Bang Angels and were chosen as a provider of government project (TIPS) as a first step to turn my side hustle into a full-fledged business.”

BrainGear has six full-time researchers (two PhDs), including Dr. Kim. Doctors and marketing experts from overseas research partners are facilitating to accelerate the business.

For their future plan, “after successfully completing ongoing global clinical trials, our goal is to acquire all marketing authorizations in the USA, Singapore, Australia, and Europe to become the de facto global leader in brain rehabilitation,” said Dr. Kim.

To learn more about BrainGear and its products, visit the official website (www.dagear.net).