GeronX Vows to 'Digitally Transform' Antiquated Elder Care Industry with Customized AI Solutions

- GeronX.ai, led by CEO Tony Kim, is addressing South Korea's rapidly aging population and the resulting elder care workforce shortage by developing an AI-driven digital care platform that integrates proprietary wearable devices and IoT sensors to provide real-time health monitoring and risk prediction for seniors.
- Their core system, NEUL CARE, utilizes data from NEUL BAND and NEUL HUB to deliver customized care, improve efficiency for caregivers, and prevent incidents such as falls or isolation, with proven scalability for various care environments.
- After overcoming challenges in data collection and device development, GeronX.ai is expanding its business model from B2B/B2G to B2C, aiming for global markets and continued innovation in elder care technology.

Tony Kim, CEO of GeronX.ai / source=IT dongA

As South Korea rapidly transitions into a hyper-aged society, the severe shortage of elderly care workers has emerged as a critical social problem. Nursing facilities, in particular, suffer from chronic labor shortages, while home-based care services are plagued by extensive blind spots, including insufficient professional training and inadequate regulatory oversight.

According to the '2025 Statistics on the Elderly' published by the Korean Statistical Office (Statistics Korea), the population of those aged 65 and older in South Korea surpassed 10.51 million this year, exceeding 20% of the total population. This ratio is projected to reach 40% by 2050. The pace of population aging in the country is one of the fastest in the world.

A startup is leveraging AI technology to tackle this critical issue: GeronX.ai, an AI-based digital care platform supporting the digital transformation of the elder care industry. We met with GeronX.ai CEO Tony Kim to hear about the strategy and vision behind their digital care solutions.

Third Startup Built on KOSDAQ Listing and U.S. Market Entry Experience

The name GeronX.ai combines Gerontology (the study of aging) with eXplainable AI (XAI). Kim explained, "In Silicon Valley, companies innovating the senior industry are often called 'AgeTech' or 'GeronTech.' GeronX.ai aims to redefine this industry, like SpaceX, and become a company with foresight. As the world digitizes, the number of people digitally marginalized is increasing. Reconnecting them with society is the most critical role AI must play."

Kim founded GeronX.ai in 2024 / source=IT dongA

Kim’s entrepreneurial history is distinctive. After joining a foreign financial institution in 1999, he co-founded Raon Secure, an information security certification company, after earning his MBA in 2007, and successfully achieved its KOSDAQ listing in 2012. He then served as Vice President of Acryl, an AI machine learning development firm, before co-founding the social venture, Lisma. At Lisma, he achieved a significant milestone by exporting an AI speaker-based elderly care service to the New York State Government in the U.S.

The turning point for founding Lisma came with the news in 2021 that an AI speaker launched by SK Telecom saved the life of a senior living alone. Kim recalled, "Seeing that news, I realized how important a role AI technology can play in assisting the socially vulnerable, going beyond simple innovation." He added, "While I was in New York for the pilot program of the AI speaker-based elderly care service with the New York State Government, I witnessed the poor conditions of long-term care facilities there. I realized the situation in domestic care facilities was even more severe. Subsequently, I acquired the silver care business system and patents from a listed company and founded GeronX.ai in 2024."

From NEUL BAND to NEUL CARE: Building an AI Care Ecosystem

GeronX.ai’s core technology is an AI-based real-time monitoring and risk prediction system. Centered around its proprietary AI data management platform, 'NEUL CARE,' the company utilizes the wearable device 'NEUL BAND' and the IoT sensor 'NEUL HUB' to provide customized health risk prediction and care services based on AI.

GeronX.ai built an AI care ecosystem through NEUL CARE, NEUL BAND, and NEUL HUB / source=GeronX.ai

It can be used continuously for over 8 days on a single charge, with a charging time of just two hours. An SOS button is built in, allowing the elderly user to call for help directly in an emergency, and it also features real-time fall detection. Kim explained, "NEUL BAND is a senior-optimized wearable co-developed with a KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) lab, boasting medical-device-level accuracy. With high-precision biosensors combined with AI analysis, it is optimally designed and performs for elderly care."

NEUL HUB relays the data collected by NEUL BAND and transmits it to NEUL CARE. It can also self-measure the indoor environment—including temperature, humidity, and air quality—and comprehensively analyzes indoor location information and electronic medical records (EMR) history from care facilities to predict fall risks and health anomalies. It is also effective at preventing the escape of early-stage dementia patients by instantly detecting access to risk areas like restrooms or states of isolation. Predicted risk levels are categorized into low, medium, and high, with real-time alerts delivered to caregivers via both web and mobile apps.

NEUL CARE integrates and analyzes all data from NEUL BAND and NEUL HUB using AI, visualizing the results. The platform provides a digital twin "bird's-eye view" based on the facility floor plan, allowing caregivers to check the location and status of residents without infringing on their privacy. It boasts high scalability, with compatibility with external commercial devices such as Samsung Galaxy Watches, motion sensors, and sleep sensors. Furthermore, a single NEUL HUB can communicate with up to 15 NEUL BANDs, enabling efficient monitoring even in large facilities. This effectively establishes an AI care ecosystem.

Kim introduces GeronX.ai's core technology / source=IT dongA

Kim stated, "Caregiving staff are deployed to intervene in critical situations, such as receiving anomaly alerts or risk notifications. This increases work efficiency and helps alleviate labor shortages. The system can be expanded to various environments, including nursing hospitals, long-term care homes, home-based care services, and safety monitoring for seniors living alone, because it is a customizable AI care service based on a single platform."

Overcoming Challenges by Developing Proprietary Devices

GeronX.ai faced difficulties during the technology development process. In particular, collecting a large volume of data, which is crucial for AI, was challenging. Kim confessed, "Continuous data collection was required for the AI control platform, but collaboration with existing commercial device manufacturers was difficult. We met with several companies, but it was not easy to solidify a partnership."

Nevertheless, Kim persevered. He decided to develop the device in-house. He succeeded in developing the proprietary device through an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) arrangement via KAIST, systematically securing data. As a result, GeronX.ai is now able to expand its services, including collaborating with the Samsung Electronics MX Division's Healthcare Group to integrate the Galaxy Watch with the NEUL CARE platform. This has also established a foundation for expanding into home-based care services and the B2C market after a PoC (Proof of Concept) in silver towns.

Kim commented, "If you immediately launch a meal kit business just because the number of single-person households is rising, the chance of failure is high. It is important to operate a restaurant and experience various customers to understand what is effective. To understand the long-term care industry, we experienced various facilities and went through many trials and errors. We listened to the actual voices from the field and learned what technology and services were truly needed. By accumulating data this way, we were able to complete the current system."

GeronX.ai advanced its technology by reflecting feedback from the field / source=GeronX.ai

In addition, NEUL BAND needed to achieve medical-device-level accuracy, which was resolved through data collection and analysis. They also solved the battery drain problem associated with real-time vital monitoring, securing over 8 days of continuous use. This usage time was specifically aligned with the weekly work cycle of care facilities, ensuring charging does not become a burden on the care staff. Furthermore, the technology for preventing isolation in high-risk areas like restrooms is particularly meaningful as it was developed by actively incorporating field feedback.

Acknowledging this technology, GeronX.ai was selected as a 'Weak/Vulnerable Technology R&D Support Company' by the Seoul Metropolitan Government in 2025. They are currently developing AI-based elderly care risk prediction technology (context-aware fall detection and high-risk area isolation prevention) and plan to conduct a demonstration project at the Seoul Yeongdeungpo-gu Public Senior Welfare Center in the second quarter of 2026.

Kim stated, "Even the best device or service is meaningless if it isn't used. There are some opinions that find wearable devices uncomfortable, so we plan to make them even smaller. We will continue to improve the devices in ways that ensure consistent use while increasing data accuracy, such as adding RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) functionality for access control or payment."

Expanding Business Model from B2B/B2G to B2C

GeronX.ai recently won the Grand Prize at the '2025 Triangle Start-up Festa' IR Demo Day, co-hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the Seoul Economic Promotion Agency (SBA), the Korea Credit Guarantee Fund (KODIT), and the Seoul Startup Center Gwanak, following a recommendation from the Seoul Startup Hub Gongdeok. They were also selected as a tenant of KODIT's NEST Space and chosen for the 'Little Penguin' program, which fosters promising early-stage startups by providing funding, guarantee support, expert mentoring, and investment linkage.

Notably, GeronX.ai was selected as a tenant of the Seoul Startup Hub Gongdeok by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the SBA in June of this year. They used the provided space to establish an R&D center, creating an environment focused on research and development. Kim noted, "In addition to space provision and investor linkage, we are provided opportunities for networking among tenant companies, which helps in conducting practical business collaborations."

GeronX.ai won the Grand Prize at the 2025 Triangle Start-up Festa IR Demo Day / source=GeronX.ai

Regarding GeronX.ai's challenges, Kim pointed to the underdeveloped market structure of the long-term care industry. He continued, "The long-term care industry is inevitably reliant on government support, but we intend to prove that our current business model is viable by pioneering a new market." He added, "Ultimately, we want to solve the caregiver shortage problem by assisting in the digital transformation of the long-term care industry. We plan to develop an AI Care Manager Agent based on the service model and data learned in care facilities. We believe that providing home care services or in-home care services with this technology can resolve care gaps."

To achieve this, GeronX.ai is preparing to expand its B2B revenue through a subscription service for the NEUL CARE platform targeting long-term care facilities. Simultaneously, they are pursuing B2C service development through collaborations with major corporations, including IT companies, telecom providers, and bathroom fixture manufacturers.

Global expansion is currently in the preparation phase. Kim revealed, "We plan to prioritize the Japanese and Middle Eastern markets in collaboration with large enterprises. We are currently discussing a potential Japan entry partnership with telecom and IT companies from both South Korea and Japan."
Kim, with over 20 years of experience founding companies in diverse sectors—including finance, security, and AI services—aims to introduce a differentiated care service at GeronX.ai based on his past experience and proprietary technology. He repeatedly stressed his commitment to creating a better future for care by providing services that anyone can easily access.

The future of GeronX.ai is reflected in Kim's statement: "The experience and passion accumulated throughout my life's journey are leading to technology that not only drives successful business but also extends a warm hand to more people."

By Kui-im Park (luckyim@itdonga.com)