Founded by a former surgeon, Samay aims to revolutionize respiratory diagnostics with 'Active Acoustic Resonance,' moving beyond passive stethoscopes.

Despite rapid advancements in medical technology, respiratory diagnostics remain a critical blind spot. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), the third leading cause of death globally, is often a "silent killer." Patients frequently remain undiagnosed until severe symptoms manifest, as accurate detection typically requires expensive CT scanners (costing upwards of $90,000) or complex pulmonary function tests.

[Global Tech Focus] ”폐가 보내는 ‘반향(Resonance)’을 듣다”... 40달러 패치로 1억 원 CT 장비에 도전장

전직 외과의사가 설립한 ‘사마이(Samay)‘, 수동적 청진기 넘어 ‘능동형 음향 공명’ 기술로 폐질환 진단 혁명 예고... 글로벌 제약사와 임상 파트너십 가속. 폐기능 검사 비용 획기적으로 줄이는데 집중

메디온테크Jung Han

Enter Samay, a startup founded by Maria Artunduaga, a Colombian-born former surgeon. Samay is poised to disrupt this landscape not by just "listening" to the lungs, but by "talking" to them through its innovative wearable device, Sylvee.

Technology: From 'Passive Listening' to 'Active Resonance'

Samay’s technological moat lies in Acoustic Resonance. This approach is fundamentally different from the current standard in digital health.

Existing smart stethoscopes (like those from Strados Labs) are "Passive." They use microphones to record sounds like wheezing or crackles, then use AI to classify them. The problem? By the time these sounds are audible, the disease has often already progressed significantly.

In contrast, Samay’s Sylvee is "Active." The device, worn on the chest, emits low-frequency sound waves. It then analyzes the resonance—the sound that bounces back from the air sacs (alveoli) in the lungs.

CEO Artunduaga compares it to "thumping a watermelon to check if it’s ripe." When a patient suffers from Air Trapping—a hallmark of COPD and emphysema where air remains in the lungs after exhalation—the density and volume of the lung change, altering the pitch of the resonance. Sylvee detects these minute changes in real-time.

The Origin: A Personal Tragedy turned Mission

The urgency behind this technology is personal. Artunduaga, trained at Harvard and the University of Chicago in plastic and reconstructive surgery, left the operating room after a personal tragedy. Her grandmother, Sylvia, passed away from a COPD exacerbation that went undetected until it was too late.

"I realized there was no way to know her lungs were failing before the crisis hit," she recalls. This powerlessness drove her to pivot to public health and engineering, applying physics principles to medicine to close the diagnostic gap that affects 3.5 million lives annually—90% of whom are in low- and middle-income countries.

Business Strategy: Partnering with Pharma to Bridge the Gap

For deep-tech medical startups, the "Valley of Death"—the period before regulatory approval—is treacherous. Samay has navigated this with a shrewd B2B strategy.

Valued at $15 million, Samay isn’t waiting for FDA approval (targeted for 2029) to generate revenue. Instead, it has secured partnerships with global pharmaceutical companies like Chiesi.

Pharma companies spend fortunes on CT scans to monitor lung function during clinical trials. Sylvee offers a cost-effective, continuous alternative. By validating their technology in these trials, Samay generates revenue while gathering the clinical data needed for future regulatory submissions.

Future Roadmap: Democratizing Diagnosis at $40

Samay’s ultimate vision is mass adoption. Artunduaga plans to price the device at approximately $40.

"We want to become the standard of care," she states. The goal is for primary care physicians to use Sylvee as routinely as a blood pressure cuff, enabling immediate diagnosis without referring patients to hospitals for expensive scans.

Starting in 2028, Samay plans to expand into Latin America and the Global South, directly addressing the healthcare inequality that inspired its creation.

[Fact Sheet] Samay & Sylvee

Sources

1. Healthcare Brew (Feb 12, 2026): "This founder is using sound waves to fight lung diseases" - (Interview, Valuation, Strategy).
2. MedTech Innovator (2024): "Samay Wins 2024 Early-Stage Grand Prize" - (Funding & Recognition).
3. ClinicalTrials.gov: "Clinical Feasibility of a Non-invasive Wearable Acoustic Device" - (Medical Mechanism).
4. World Health Organization (WHO): COPD Mortality Statistics.