
Venture:
Kriash
Founders:
Neetika Ashwani ’22PH
Industry:
Healthtech, medtech, and digital health
Venture Type:
For-profit
What is the social or environmental issue being addressed?
Kriash addresses the critical issue of neonatal mortality, particularly in low-resource settings, by improving compliance with Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) — a proven, low-cost intervention involving skin-to-skin contact. Despite its life-saving potential, KMC is underutilized due to lack of monitoring tools, and accountability. Our smart, wearable device enables real-time tracking and encourages adherence, helping to reduce preventable deaths among preterm and low-birth-weight infants. By empowering caregivers and health systems with data-driven insights, Kriash contributes to advancing health equity and strengthening maternal-newborn care globally.
Innovation:
Kriash is pioneering the first IoT-enabled wearable patch designed to monitor and promote KMC in NICUs. Our device seamlessly tracks skin-to-skin contact duration and newborn vitals, offering real-time data to caregivers and clinicians. Unlike existing manual methods, Kriash provides automated, reliable compliance monitoring — transforming KMC from a passive recommendation into an actionable, trackable intervention. This innovation bridges the gap between clinical intent and on-ground implementation, especially in underserved settings, and enables data-driven neonatal care that saves lives. Our approach blends cutting-edge technology with deep public health impact to address one of the most urgent challenges in newborn survival.
Read More:
- Global Women in Business and Leadership Award
LinkedIn
Spring 2025 - Tie Women Regionals Pitch Competition
Tie Hyderabad
October 4, 2024 - Columbia Technology Challenge
Columbia Mailman School of Public Health
Spring 2024