Naver D2SF, the startup investment arm of Naver (035420.KS), announced on the 1st that it has made follow-on investments in Korean startups Soundable Health and Nubilab, both making inroads into the U.S. healthcare market.
Soundable Health developed an artificial intelligence (AI) model that analyzes sound data generated by the human body to assess health conditions. Its first product, "ProudP," is a solution that analyzes urination sounds to measure and monitor voiding symptoms caused by conditions such as benign prostatic hyperplasia. Based on more than 500,000 real-world data points, the solution achieves 97% accuracy using only a smartphone without any additional hardware.
The company enhanced accessibility and usability so that users can conveniently perform urination tests at home. As an FDA Class II medical device, ProudP is recognized for meeting clinical accuracy standards as well as various regulatory requirements including medical device quality and personal data protection, earning its credentials as a software-based medical device. Currently, more than 130 urology specialists and approximately 50,000 patients are using the product in the United States, with patients' voluntary and long-term usage rates on an upward trend.
Soundable Health has targeted the U.S. market from its earliest days, building not only technological capabilities but also sales and operational expertise through repeated on-the-ground validation. Building on this foundation, the company is expanding beyond urological conditions into areas such as respiratory disease monitoring through cough sound analysis. Naver D2SF first invested in the company's seed round shortly after its founding in 2019 and has now participated in its pre-Series A round as a follow-on investment.
Nubilab developed a nutrition management solution that uses a scanner to photograph food and analyze its type, intake amount and nutritional content in real time. The company designed its system by installing scanners in everyday spaces such as daycare centers and schools, enabling users to naturally collect data. As a result, the solution records a 95% retention rate, far exceeding the healthcare industry average. Powered by a multimodal AI model trained on more than 100 million food data points, the technology analyzes dietary data with 98% accuracy in just 0.3 seconds.
As of the end of last year, Nubilab had secured a cumulative 1,000 global clients and 100,000 users. The company is boosting hospital patient-care productivity through an AI-automated solution that matches patient meal order information with the food actually served. Nubilab has also signed an exclusive contract with the world's largest catering group to supply its products to U.S. hospitals. Going forward, the company plans to expand into nutritional intake analysis and partnerships with insurers and pharmaceutical companies, broadening its influence across the healthcare ecosystem. Naver D2SF first invested in Nubilab's seed round in 2021 and has now made a follow-on investment in its Series A bridge round.
"Both teams relentlessly explored what customers and the market truly want, successfully validating product-market fit in the U.S. healthcare market and preparing for full-scale scale-up," said Yang Sang-hwan, head of Naver D2SF. "Naver D2SF will focus its follow-on investments on startups expanding globally, building on the trust relationships we have cultivated since their earliest stages."