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Antonio Forenza was working as head of research and development at Rakuten Symphony, a telecom subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate, when he realized that he needed to find a better way to manage his stress levels.<\/p>\n
A few years earlier, he had lost 40 pounds with the help of an Apple Watch, which counted steps and tracked his calorie burn, and he began wondering if there was a similar device to assess his stress.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to lose 40 pounds of stress, and realized there\u2019s no wearable for that today,\u201d Forenza told TechCrunch.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s when Forenza realized he\u2019d stumbled onto a gap in the consumer health market. Drawing on his engineering background, he decided to build the device himself, using a more than century-old technology: the electroencephalogram (EEG) to detect and measure electrical activity in the brain.<\/p>\n
While EEG is used clinically to diagnose diseases such as epilepsy and sleep disorders, it can also detect psychological stress by measuring high-frequency brain waves called beta waves. When those rapid beta waves persist for extended periods, they can lead to exhaustion, insomnia, and mental distress.<\/p>\n
Forenza collaborated with data scientists and biomedical engineers to develop Awear<\/a>, a small device worn behind the ear for continuous brainwave monitoring. The device transmits results to an app, which provides information about the wearer\u2019s mood and offers AI-powered coaching advice for managing stress and improving emotional resilience. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOur brain is phenomenal at self-adjusting and makes us believe we are not stressed,\u201d Forenza said. \u201cIt\u2019s fine to be in \u2018fight or flight\u2019 every once in a while. It\u2019s part of our nature. But if you fall into the trap of constant \u2018fight or flight\u2019, then that leads to chronic stress, depression, anxiety.\u201d<\/p>\n Techcrunch event<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSan Francisco<\/span> Forenza claims that Awear helps users proactively intercept excessive stress before it leads to negative health effects<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOctober 13-15, 2026<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n