Awear, an innovative startup, is making waves in the consumer health market with a new brain-monitoring wearable designed to combat chronic stress. The company recently garnered significant attention, winning the health category pitch competition at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025's Startup Battlefield 200. Founded by Antonio Forenza, Awear aims to provide individuals with a "Fitbit for the brain," offering real-time insights and AI-powered coaching to manage stress and enhance emotional resilience.
The Genesis of Awear
The inspiration for Awear stemmed from Forenza's personal experience. While serving as head of research and development at Rakuten Symphony, a telecom subsidiary of a Japanese conglomerate, he sought a more effective way to manage his own stress levels. Having successfully used an Apple Watch to track physical health, he wondered if a similar device could exist for mental well-being. “I wanted to lose 40 pounds of stress, and realized there’s no wearable for that today,” Forenza told TechCrunch. This realization highlighted a significant gap in the consumer health market.
How Awear Works
Leveraging his engineering background, Forenza decided to build the solution himself. He turned to electroencephalogram (EEG) technology, a method over a century old, to detect and measure electrical activity in the brain. While clinically used for diagnosing conditions like epilepsy and sleep disorders, EEG can also identify psychological stress by monitoring high-frequency brain waves called beta waves. Prolonged periods of these rapid beta waves can lead to exhaustion, insomnia, and mental distress.
Collaborating with data scientists and biomedical engineers, Forenza developed Awear: a compact device worn discreetly behind the ear for continuous brainwave monitoring. The device transmits data to a companion app, which interprets the wearer's mood and provides AI-powered coaching advice tailored for stress management and improving emotional resilience.
Understanding and Combating Chronic Stress
Forenza emphasizes the subtle nature of stress and the importance of proactive management.
“Our brain is phenomenal at self-adjusting and makes us believe we are not stressed,” Forenza explained. “It’s fine to be in ‘fight or flight’ every once in a while. It’s part of our nature. But if you fall into the trap of constant ‘fight or flight’, then that leads to chronic stress, depression, anxiety.”
Awear aims to empower users to proactively intercept excessive stress before it escalates into negative health effects.
Market Validation and Future Plans
Awear's potential is being recognized beyond its TechCrunch Disrupt win. Stanford University’s psychiatry department is currently testing the device to detect confusion and disorientation in elderly patients post-surgery. However, Forenza's primary focus remains on the individual consumer market, mirroring the successful strategies of other popular wearables like the Oura ring.
Earlier this year, Awear successfully closed a pre-seed funding round with investments from Hustle Fund, Niremia Collective, Techstars, and The Pitch Fund. The company plans to raise a $5 million seed round in early 2026. Currently, Awear is available through an early-access program for $195, which includes a complimentary lifetime app subscription. This program has already attracted numerous startup founders, a demographic known for high-stress environments. Following its seed round, Awear intends to launch a Kickstarter campaign, a proven strategy for wearables like Peloton and Oura, to gain visibility and acquire a broader customer base. “It is a path that worked for many other wearables. It gives you a lot of visibility, and it’s a good way to acquire customers,” Forenza stated.
