MicroCardio: Pioneering Chronic Disease Management Through ECG Monitoring Devices

Liu Qiang, co-founder of Beijing Weixin Baiyuan Technology Development Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Weixin Baiyuan”), once stated at the company’s inception: “With meticulous care, we gather the sources of public health.” This phrase is precisely the origin of the name “Weixin Baiyuan.”

Founded in 2012, Micro Heart Baiyuan focuses on the field of mobile electrocardiography (ECG) and has gradually expanded into resident health and chronic disease management. By leveraging professional and diverse mobile medical diagnostic devices, the company aims to provide high-quality, affordable home health solutions for every Chinese family, bringing professional medical services into households across the country.

Weixin Baiyuan provides home health solutions centered on intelligent apps and cloud services. This solution consists of three components: first, mobile home medical devices based on innovative medical technologies; second, mobile internet health applications powered by smart devices; and finally, a comprehensive health monitoring and management solution comprising cloud-based health services and data mining applications.

Currently, Weixin Baiyuan’s product portfolio includes the Cardio Watch, 12-lead mobile ECG, ECG cloud platform, MultiHealth multi-parameter patient monitor, and Holter ambulatory ECG monitor. The company has filed five patent applications and obtained two Class II medical device certifications from the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA).

Cardio Watch by Weixin Baiyuan is a smartwatch with clinical-grade ECG and blood pressure monitoring capabilities. It received Class II medical device certification from the National Medical Products Administration earlier this year and was officially launched on May 16, 2015.

Currently, the Cardio Watch by Weixin Baiyuan has entered mass production and is available in three colors: gold, rose gold, and silver. However, the product has not yet been officially released and is expected to hit the market soon.

In addition to Cardio Watch, the 12-lead electrocardiograph under Weixin Baiyuan also received National Class II Medical Device Certification in 2014.

Following certification of the 12-lead mobile electrocardiogram (ECG) device, Weixin Baiyuan commenced its promotion in pilot hospitals. Currently, more than one hundred units are in use across over a dozen community and primary care hospitals within a foundational pilot region in Hubei Province. Meanwhile, adoption in Beijing is also underway, with the number of deployed devices continuing to grow.

Liu Qiang stated that Weixin Baiyuan does not regard its 12-lead mobile electrocardiograph as merely a medical device. In addition to providing the equipment to hospitals, the company establishes a comprehensive service framework and customizes professional mobile applications and backend systems tailored to each hospital’s needs.

Regarding why the company does not sell directly to the consumer market, Liu Qiang told VCBeat, “Although we aim to introduce this device into households, simply marketing it to families may hold little value for them, as laypersons cannot interpret raw data without physician assistance. Furthermore, we intend to bundle the device with our services to provide users with an optimal health service experience.”

By the end of this year, Weixin Baiyuan will officially enter the North American market and launch its consumer-facing services. Liu Qiang stated that the North American market exhibits a high level of acceptance for electronic devices. Furthermore, given the relatively well-developed healthcare system in North America, where private physicians play a central role, there is substantial demand for portable ECG devices.

The founders of Weixin Baiyuan are all long-time friends. Initially, founder Yu Bing viewed mobile healthcare as a promising industry. Given the team’s prior experience in medical hardware and their expertise in the mobile internet sector, they quickly reached a consensus and began planning around 2009. At that time, they were focused on traditional medical devices and had not yet considered venturing into mobile healthcare.

In early 2012, driven by healthcare policy reforms at the time and the founders’ assessment of the mobile health market’s trajectory—which suggested an imminent explosive growth within two to three years—and leveraging their mature technological reserves, the founding team jointly established Weixin Baiyuan.

Currently, Weixin Baiyuan’s technical team comprises more than 30 members.

Founder Yu Bing, a native of Hubei Province, graduated with a master’s degree in Computer Science from the Graduate University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. After graduation, he worked for over two years at a domestic healthcare company as an Algorithm Engineer, and subsequently spent nearly five years managing a technical development team at a foreign enterprise.

Tu Changjian, Chief Engineer of the technical team, is one of China’s first outstanding engineers in the computer industry and has over 20 years of experience in the research and development of medical device hardware.

Co-founder Yu Bing is currently primarily responsible for marketing operations. While Weixin Baiyuan’s sales and marketing efforts have not yet been fully rolled out, the company has reached cooperation intentions with local health and disease control departments in pilot regions, signed technical collaboration agreements with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and partnered with JD.com on e-commerce channels. Consumer-facing (2C) products are expected to launch by the end of the year.

It is understood that Weixin Baiyuan secured tens of millions in financing from Binghong Capital and Beiruan Angel Fund in the second half of 2014. Currently, a new round of financing is being planned.

 VCBeat’s Series on Cardiovascular Startup Projects

[Cardiovascular Series Report 1] Dongfang Taihua: Making Professional Medical Equipment Accessible to the General Public

[Cardiovascular Series Report 2] Beijing Yitakang: Services Are More Competitive Than Hardware

[Cardiovascular Series Report 3] Health Cloud Alarm: Enabling Children to Intervene in Their Parents’ Chronic Disease Management

[Cardiovascular Series Report 4] 37-Degree Band: Beyond Sleep and Step Counting, It Monitors Blood Pressure and Heart Rate

[Cardiovascular Series Report 5] Fengtuo Bio: All You Need Is a Suitcase to Get a Checkup at Home

[Cardiovascular Series Report 6] FT-Health: Creating a Private Doctor for the Average Person