Antonio Forenza, former research leader at Rakuten Symphony, developed Awear, a device that monitors stress through EEG, providing AI coaching for emotional management.

Antonio Forenza, former research leader at Rakuten Symphony, realized that there is no wearable device to measure stress, similar to the Apple Watch for physical activity. Thus, he began developing Awear, a discreet device that uses electroencephalography (EEG) to monitor brain waves and detect psychological stress. Awear transmits data to an application that analyzes mood in real-time and offers AI-based coaching to help users manage their stress. The device won the health competition at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 and is being studied by the psychiatry department at Stanford for its use in elderly patients. Awear recently secured a pre-seed funding round and plans to raise 5 million dollars by 2026. Currently, the device is available through an early access program, costing 195 dollars, including a lifetime subscription to the app. After the seed round, the company intends to launch a Kickstarter campaign to attract customers.