This startup built a Fitbit for your brain to combat chronic stress

Antonio Forenza, formerly head of R&D at Rakuten Symphony, identified a gap in the consumer health market for a wearable device that tracks stress, similar to how devices like the Apple Watch track physical activity. Leveraging his engineering expertise, he developed Awear, a wearable that uses electroencephalogram (EEG) technology to monitor brain activity—specifically high-frequency beta waves associated with psychological stress. Persistent beta waves can lead to chronic stress, exhaustion, and mental health issues, and Awear aims to help users detect and manage stress proactively before it escalates. Awear, which recently won the health category pitch competition at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 and is a Startup Battlefield 200 finalist, is currently being tested by Stanford’s psychiatry department for detecting confusion and disorientation in elderly post-surgery patients. However, Forenza’s primary target market is individual consumers, positioning Awear alongside other popular health wearables like the Oura ring. The device is available through an early