Healthcare & Science: Meet The Healthtech Founders And Scientists On The 30 Under 30 Asia List

Forbes

14-05-2025

Jia Haojun first came up with the idea for Deep Principle while at MIT working on his doctorate in computational quantum chemistry, specifically the role of AI in predicting chemical reactions. Before he graduated last year, he teamed up with MIT pal Duan Chenru, 30, to launch the Hangzhou-based company. Their aim: to use AI to speed up the discovery of new chemical compounds and materials. In geek-speak, that's called AI4S or 'AI for Science.'
Jia is one of this year's Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia: Healthcare & Science listees who are using cutting-edge technology to innovate and improve their industry.
His startup's ReactiveAI platform, trained on open-source models and data supplied by its industrial partners in China, can among other things generate solutions for improved manufacturing efficiency. For example, the AI model can suggest new formulas and less energy-intensive ways to produce a range of chemical compounds with the specific properties that users need. Deep Principle's AI, however, still requires humans to sift through the suggestions, Jia admits. 'There is a fundamental shift in the chemical industry,' he says. 'AI will significantly shorten the research period of novel materials, and help to optimize the amount of energy consumed in making them.'
The company raised close to $20 million from investors including Chinese investment firms GL Ventures and Linear Capital, and Singapore's Vertex Ventures.
With AI adoption on the rise, other listees are also using the technology and unlocking its potential to help with diagnostics.
Seokhwan Oh, 27, cofounded Barreleye, which is developing AI-powered ultrasound software to diagnose breast and thyroid cancer and cardiovascular diseases. The Seoul-based startup claims its diagnostics are 15% more accurate than conventional ultrasound tools. Barreleye, which was founded in 2021, has raised $3 million in funding from investors including Korean Technology Finance Corp. and Sunbo Angel Partners.
Also in South Korea, Jeonghyun Yoon and Jaewoo Pyo cofounded BlueSignum, a Seoul-based startup that develops apps to improve mental health. BlueSignum's flagship app is DailyBean, which helps users track their mood and self-reflect by keeping a diary. BlueSignum says DailyBean has amassed over 10 million downloads, mostly in the U.S. In March, it launched an AI counselor app called Lime AI.
Jaewoo Pyo and Jeonghyun Yoon, cofounders of BlueSignum
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A few entrepreneurs on the list opted to inventing novel devices that can potentially serve as an alternative to existing diagnostic and treatment methods.
Cofounded in 2020 by Deepansh Goyal and Siddhant Dangi, Bangalore-based Nexstem is developing brain-computer interface technologies. The company's main product is a headset called Instinct, which uses adjustable electrodes to measure brain signals in a non-invasive way, allowing users to interact with machines through their thoughts. The startup says its product can be used for purposes including clinical diagnostics and neuroscience research.
Damian Sofrevski, cofounder of Neurode
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In Australia, Damian Sofrevski's Neurode is developing a headband that can potentially treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Using what the company says is non-invasive electric signals, the device can stimulate the brain to help with focus, memory and impulse control. Last September, Neurode raised A$5.2 million ($3.5 million) in funding from investors led by Khosla Ventures. The device is currently in clinical trials.
Some young researchers on the list are focusing on discovering novel materials.
Li Junzhu is a research fellow at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University who is particularly interested in 2D materials, a class of materials that are only one to two atoms thick. These materials, including graphene, have potential uses in the biomedical and optoelectronic fields.
China-born Wang Kunyu is a researcher in materials science at the University of Pennsylvania. He focuses on nanomaterials, which are characterized by size and measured in nanometers —a nanometer is one millionth of a millimeter—that have the potential to allow energy to pass through. Wang has earned over 4,500 citations over the past five years, including his research published in Nature Communications.
Read our complete Healthcare & Science list here – and be sure to check out our full Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2025 coverage here.