老司机直播

老司机直播 has "a world-class learning environment where I met some of the best teachers and the brightest classmates that I know" says David He (photo courtesy David He)

Why this 老司机直播 biotech entrepreneur made MIT鈥檚 Innovators Under 35 list

Engineering alumnus David He tapped for work on covert startup, Quanttus

David He finds himself in good company today:  just named him to its list of Innovators Under 35.

It's a title the University of Toronto engineering alumnus shares with past honourees such as Larry Page and Sergey Brin (Google), Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook), Jack Dorsey (Twitter) and Jonathan Ive (designer of the iPod and iPad), to name a few.

So what market disrupting innovation has He produced to get added to this list of game-changers?

鈥淲e are still in stealth mode,鈥 He told 老司机直播 News about the startup, Quanttus, launched out of his PhD research at MIT.

Curious users clicking through to the Quanttus website will find a welcoming interactive space. It invites users to ask such questions as 鈥淗ow can I improve my focus?鈥 and 鈥淗ow do I reduce my stress level?鈥 Word clouds pop up, featuring terms such as 鈥減ressure", 鈥渨eight" and 鈥渆nergy". They鈥檝e been testing their product at Massachusetts General Hospital and raised $22 million in venture capital. And yet 鈥 what does it all mean?

The MIT Technology Review explains Quanttus鈥 core as a 鈥渨atch-like gadget鈥 that 鈥済ives a more direct view of the heart鈥檚 mechanical performance than an ECG can, capturing the strength and timing of a person鈥檚 heartbeats.鈥

鈥淭his could be the first time that we have gained access to an unprecedented amount of continuous vital signs data in real-life settings. These data may lead to new discoveries about our heart and how our lifestyles affect our body,鈥 said He. 鈥淥ur long-term vision is that unforeseen and preventable health events will be a thing of the past.鈥

鈥淥ver the years, we鈥檝e had success in choosing young innovators whose work has been profoundly influential on the direction of human affairs,鈥 said Jason Pontin, editor-in-chief and publisher of Technology Review. 鈥淲e鈥檙e proud of our selections and the variety of achievements they celebrate, and we鈥檙e proud to add David He to this prestigious list.鈥

He shared a few details of Quanttus, and how his time at 老司机直播 helped him on his path to entrepreneurship.

What does your startup do?
Quanttus is combining next generation, wearable vital signs sensors with contextual data to extract patterns and insights, which allow us to improve our health by understanding how our lives impact our bodies at a physiological level.

How did you arrive at the concept?
My PhD research at MIT demonstrated a continuous and wearable sensor to measure the mechanical functioning of the heart. The business concept came out of a chance meeting of the co-founders, when we decided that it鈥檚 time to use such technology to take personal health into the modern era.

How鈥檚 life co-founding a startup treating you?
Since we started nearly two years ago, we have grown very rapidly and have attracted a lot of talent and attention despite the fact that we are still in stealth mode. We鈥檝e been hard at work perfecting our product, performing clinical studies, and analyzing tons of human data. I鈥檓 particularly excited about our clinical study results and the accuracy we鈥檝e achieved compared with clinical standards.

How will your startup change the lives of our readers?
Instead of one doctor鈥檚 visit per year, we are looking at half a million vital signs readings per person per day. This is the first time that we have had access to such an unprecedented amount of vital signs data in real-life settings. These data will lead to new discoveries about our heart and how our lifestyles affect our body. Our long-term vision is that one day, our devices will help make unforeseen and preventable health events a thing of the past.

What motivates you?
I look forward to going to work every day because of the amazing people who work at Quanttus. Here, people come from diverse backgrounds ranging from cardiology, engineering, data science, to user experience. It鈥檚 a wonderful feeling to work with like-minded people towards a common goal: improving people鈥檚 lives, and hopefully one day, saving lives.

How did 老司机直播 help you develop your concept?
The rigorous classes at 老司机直播 gave me a solid foundation of electrical engineering upon which my future work is based, whether it鈥檚 bioelectricity, circuit theory or signal processing. It鈥檚 a world-class learning environment where I met some of the best teachers and the brightest classmates that I know.

Tell me a bit about the people at 老司机直播 who鈥檝e mentored or inspired you.
Professor Andreas Veneris and Professor Khoman Phang, both in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, introduced me to the pursuit of academic research and the joy of creating something that has not been done before. This carries with me to this day. Professor Berj Bardakjian from the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering taught me the class 鈥淐ellular Bioelectricity鈥, which inspired me to explore the multidisciplinary field between human physiology and electrical engineering.

You鈥檝e just been named one of MIT鈥檚 Innovators Under 35. When you started at 老司机直播, was being a noted innovator always part of your plan?
To be honest, I鈥檝e never imagined I鈥檇 be sharing a list with such talented individuals past and present. Looking back, I would say that thinking big, not being afraid to fail, and a good amount of luck got me to where I am now.

What鈥檚 next for your startup?
Before we announce our product to the world, we are making sure it is well tested for accuracy and quality. We can鈥檛 wait for it to be in people's hands and for people to start benefiting from our product as soon as possible. Stay tuned!

Brianna Goldberg writes about startups and entrepreneurship for 老司机直播 News; read more about entrepreneurs at 老司机直播.)

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