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Lost Vision, Found Mission: How Mediwhale’s AI Sees Disease Before Doctors Can
In this episode of Asia Tech Lens: Founder Stories, we sit down with Kevin Choi, Co-Founder and CEO of Mediwhale — a Korean healthtech startup using AI to see what doctors can’t.
At just 26, Kevin lost half his vision to glaucoma — a silent, asymptomatic disease. Instead of retreating, he turned that diagnosis into a mission: to build an AI system that could prevent others from going through the same. Together with his doctor, he founded Mediwhale, developing deep-learning models that can predict cardiovascular and metabolic risks from a single image of the eye.
From publishing in The Lancet Digital Health to persuading skeptical doctors and investors, Kevin’s story is one of persistence, humility, and purpose — a reminder that innovation often starts from personal pain.
Hosted by Miro Lu, this conversation explores the human side of AI in medicine: what it means to build trust in a field where precision can save lives.
💡What You’ll Hear About
* Losing sight — and finding purpose: how glaucoma inspired Mediwhale’s founding.
* Turning the eye into a diagnostic window for heart and metabolic diseases.
* Winning doctors’ trust: from rejection to The Lancet Digital Health breakthrough.
* “Money is cold”: what Kevin learned from raising US $22 million in tough markets.
* Global expansion: why Mediwhale chose the U.S. as its next big leap.
* AI beyond ChatGPT: when deep learning sees what humans can’t.
* Saving lives in Korea and Dubai — the stories that keep the mission alive.
* Leadership lessons: humility, hiring mistakes, and the price of vision.
⏱️ In This Episode
00:00 – The Eye That Started It All01:12 – Your Journey to Mediwhale02:30 – Losing Vision Without Knowing It04:33 – Building a Mission to Prevent “Another Kevin”05:16 – 0 to 1: What Was the Tipping Point?07:50 – From Rejection to Recognition: Publishing in The Lancet10:30 – “Money is Cold”: Raising Capital with Purpose12:32 – Every Market Is Similar? U.S. Expansion and IPO15:16 – The AI Hype18:20 – Healthcare Stakeholders19:41 – Company Culture and Leadership22:31 – East vs West: Business Leadership26:30 – Life-Saving Stories That Prove the Mission28:49 – Your Biggest Mistake?
📚 References
Mediwhale – AI retinal diagnostics for cardiovascular and metabolic health.Kevin Choi on LinkedInThe Lancet Digital Health – Peer-reviewed journal publishing Mediwhale’s early findings.Glaucoma — Mayo Clinic OverviewRetinal Imaging (Fundus Photography) — Cleveland ClinicCardiovascular Disease (CVD) — WHO Fact SheetAmerican Society for Preventive Cardiology (ASPC)Perspective MediaAsia Tech Lens Newsletter
🎙️ About Asia Tech Lens
Produced by Perspective Media (Singapore), Asia Tech Lens explores the technology, trends, and people shaping Asia’s innovation landscape — and its global impact.
For enquiries about:
* sponsorships or collaboration: [email protected]
* media or permissions: [email protected]
#AIinHealthcare #PreventiveAI #DigitalHealth #Mediwhale #KoreaTech #FounderStories #DeepLearning #HealthcareInnovation #StartupJourney #AsiaTechLens
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.asiatechlens.com
View all episodes
By Asia Tech LensIn this episode of Asia Tech Lens: Founder Stories, we sit down with Kevin Choi, Co-Founder and CEO of Mediwhale — a Korean healthtech startup using AI to see what doctors can’t.
At just 26, Kevin lost half his vision to glaucoma — a silent, asymptomatic disease. Instead of retreating, he turned that diagnosis into a mission: to build an AI system that could prevent others from going through the same. Together with his doctor, he founded Mediwhale, developing deep-learning models that can predict cardiovascular and metabolic risks from a single image of the eye.
From publishing in The Lancet Digital Health to persuading skeptical doctors and investors, Kevin’s story is one of persistence, humility, and purpose — a reminder that innovation often starts from personal pain.
Hosted by Miro Lu, this conversation explores the human side of AI in medicine: what it means to build trust in a field where precision can save lives.
💡What You’ll Hear About
* Losing sight — and finding purpose: how glaucoma inspired Mediwhale’s founding.
* Turning the eye into a diagnostic window for heart and metabolic diseases.
* Winning doctors’ trust: from rejection to The Lancet Digital Health breakthrough.
* “Money is cold”: what Kevin learned from raising US $22 million in tough markets.
* Global expansion: why Mediwhale chose the U.S. as its next big leap.
* AI beyond ChatGPT: when deep learning sees what humans can’t.
* Saving lives in Korea and Dubai — the stories that keep the mission alive.
* Leadership lessons: humility, hiring mistakes, and the price of vision.
⏱️ In This Episode
00:00 – The Eye That Started It All01:12 – Your Journey to Mediwhale02:30 – Losing Vision Without Knowing It04:33 – Building a Mission to Prevent “Another Kevin”05:16 – 0 to 1: What Was the Tipping Point?07:50 – From Rejection to Recognition: Publishing in The Lancet10:30 – “Money is Cold”: Raising Capital with Purpose12:32 – Every Market Is Similar? U.S. Expansion and IPO15:16 – The AI Hype18:20 – Healthcare Stakeholders19:41 – Company Culture and Leadership22:31 – East vs West: Business Leadership26:30 – Life-Saving Stories That Prove the Mission28:49 – Your Biggest Mistake?
📚 References
Mediwhale – AI retinal diagnostics for cardiovascular and metabolic health.Kevin Choi on LinkedInThe Lancet Digital Health – Peer-reviewed journal publishing Mediwhale’s early findings.Glaucoma — Mayo Clinic OverviewRetinal Imaging (Fundus Photography) — Cleveland ClinicCardiovascular Disease (CVD) — WHO Fact SheetAmerican Society for Preventive Cardiology (ASPC)Perspective MediaAsia Tech Lens Newsletter
🎙️ About Asia Tech Lens
Produced by Perspective Media (Singapore), Asia Tech Lens explores the technology, trends, and people shaping Asia’s innovation landscape — and its global impact.
For enquiries about:
* sponsorships or collaboration: [email protected]
* media or permissions: [email protected]
#AIinHealthcare #PreventiveAI #DigitalHealth #Mediwhale #KoreaTech #FounderStories #DeepLearning #HealthcareInnovation #StartupJourney #AsiaTechLens
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.asiatechlens.com