-Setting new standards for care through technology in an aging society
– Intuitive technology that saves lives with a single button, user-centered design
– Starting from family care, developing into team care, expanding the scope of care
In an aging society, care has become an essential part of daily life beyond hospitals and nursing homes. Care is needed for all those who worry about their families, including the elderly living alone, patients with chronic diseases, youth who are anxious about getting home, and workers in hazardous environments. Venture company Ask Millions (CEO Sang-kwon Lee, Co-founder Do-jun Lee) has presented a new care model to the senior tech market through healthcare solutions ‘FamCare’ and ‘FamCare SOS’.
It started from the founders’ personal care experiences. CEO Lee Sang-kwon was considering systematic health management while recording his doctor’s treatment in a hospital note app while receiving cancer treatment, and co-founder Lee Do-jun wanted to solve the health and daily care needs of his mother, who is over 90 years old. “As my parents, both over 90 years old, visited the hospital more frequently, I wanted to systematically manage their medical records and care,” said CEO Lee Sang-kwon.
They joined forces to develop a solution. For the elderly who have difficulty using smartphones, they designed an intuitive UI/UX in the form of a remote control that operates by simply selecting buttons without complicated input. CEO Lee Sang-kwon majored in computer engineering and gained management expertise at an IT company, while co-founder Lee Do-jun added insight into the startup ecosystem based on his experience in semiconductor design at Samsung Electronics and as the head of the KAIST Business School Startup Support Center. AskMillions, which started as a startup support platform in 2015, converted its business to focus on family care in 2018 when the two CEOs joined forces, and accelerated its business by attracting investment from KOC Partners in 2022. It expanded its market by starting sales on Naver Smart Store, Coupang, and Amazon in October 2023. It was recognized as a joint cooperation company by the Seongnam Senior Industry Innovation Center, and received support for product exhibitions and demos, and obtained a patent for the 'Health Monitoring System for Elderly Care' and a design registration certificate for the 'Portable Terminal with Displayed Screen Design'.
Protect your life and daily life with just one button
'FamCare SOS' is a portable emergency notification device designed to respond quickly and accurately in emergency situations. "With just one touch of a button, you can save your life by transmitting the situation and location to your family and guardians," said CEO Lee Sang-kwon. It connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth, and when you press the red SOS button in the center, emergency alarms, location information, and on-site voice recordings are sent to the guardian. Guardians can report to 119 or 112 through the FamCare app. The device operates without smartphone operation, and can be attached to a bag or clothing or worn as a necklace, making it easy for seniors, children, and field workers to use. "We were worried that seniors would have difficulty using the app, but we designed it to operate with a simple click of a button," he said, emphasizing user friendliness. The Bluetooth connection reconnects at close range with an automatic recovery function, and "even if the device and smartphone are disconnected due to being far apart, they will automatically reconnect when they get closer." Its practicality is enhanced by its long-term battery and non-rechargeable design.
In the B2C market, it is available only by purchasing the device, and the main purchasers are children in their 30s to 50s who are worried about their single parents, but it is expanding to women, children, and high-risk occupation groups. The family care app supports daily care beyond emergency situations, and currently has about 7,000 monthly active users (MAU) and is growing steadily. It periodically updates location and step count data, and plans to introduce real-time updates and text message transmission as a paid model in the future.
When a user types in a request like “I need wet tissues” with a button, the app connects to a linked shopping mall for delivery, expanding the commerce function. The price, which is 30-50% cheaper than similar services, is Pamcare’s strength. “We aim to provide a care-centered solution that many people can use, not a service that doesn’t make money,” says CEO Lee Sang-kwon.
A Care Ecosystem Expanding to Businesses, Public Agencies, and Global Markets
AskMillions is expanding its B2B and B2G markets in addition to B2C and building a care ecosystem. Company K, which was the first to recognize the potential of PamCareSOS, introduced TeamCare for the safety of workers constructing communication lines in mountainous areas, and developed an additional function that can “identify who pressed the button as a team and gather them together,” laying the foundation for a customized solution. As a result, Company D designated PamCareSOS as standard safety equipment for workers, and some of its field offices purchased and used it first, certifying it as an excellent product. Company P is pushing for an agreement with the headquarters after individual purchases by field offices, and Company C uses the device for loggers and heavy equipment operators at golf course construction sites, and uses 100 licenses for central monitoring and emergency response.
Pamcare is also gaining attention in public institutions. A organization requested a function for 40 to 50 security guards to receive notifications at the same time, and after a demonstration, it led to a purchase. B organization rents devices to the disabled or rock climbers, and operates them through location management and recovery, and is currently discussing additional purchases. C and D organizations distributed devices to elderly people with dementia living alone and elderly people in rental housing, and connected them to the prevention of disappearances and social welfare donations.
The early adoption of these companies and organizations opened the market for the TeamCare platform, and the PamCare service became more sophisticated, reflecting the needs of each site. TeamCare centrally monitors multiple users and supports notifications, location tracking, and control center response in emergency situations by linking with PamCare SOS. It is operated with a monthly subscription fee of 4,500 won (20% discount for 1-year contract), and additional functions such as text messaging are also paid to manage costs. Recognized as an essential safety solution for industrial sites and outdoor activities, PamCare is setting a new standard for care.
Accelerating global expansion, targeting from Amazon to South America and Europe
In the global market, we plan to start selling through Amazon in the US and expand to Amazon Japan, Canada, Europe, and the Middle East. To this end, we are preparing for certification in Canada and Japan by winning an overseas certification support project, and we are also promoting our entry into South America by signing an MOU with a Peruvian company. Europe has strict personal information regulations, but we plan to prepare an alternative and take on the challenge. “We want to deliver a global message through meaningful sales in the US market and induce B2B bulk purchases,” he said, revealing his global vision.
The growth of Pamcare is expanding into a care ecosystem that connects families and society, based on success in industrial sites and public institutions. Technological advancements shine when they are directed toward people. Pamcare goes beyond protecting one person’s life, and creates a structure that protects everyone’s daily life through wandering detection, chat, shopping linkage, health monitoring, and crisis response that starts with a single button. To prevent someone’s danger from becoming everyone’s daily life, AskMillions’ journey continues with the sincerity of technology.
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