AIRS Medical passionately pursues its ambitious dream of a world without sickness. They tirelessly pursue this dream by addressing challenges they have faced or are currently facing. The five co-founders of AIRS Medical and the two co-founders of artiQ started with the problems of their own families, and have flexibly evolved towards the world of their dreams. To deliver value to patients and the public, they envision a model where hospitals and doctors become more profitable, ultimately benefiting all. Their first product, SwiftMR, embodies this vision. SwiftMR is an artificial intelligence solution that accelerates MRI scans. It provides immediate benefits, which hospitals and physicians can readily observe. Patients also benefit from improved accessibility through comfortable and faster MRI scans. Today, AIRS Medical's customers are saying, “We definitely see the benefits of using AIRS Medical's solutions” and “I knew it was a big company when I saw the technology.” SwiftMR delivers value far beyond initial expectations, marking only the beginning for AIRS Medical.

The talent density at AIRS Medical is unparalleled. The network effect of uniting brilliant minds around the dream of ‘a world without sickness’ continuously attracts more talent, fostering a highly effective team. And every team member is deeply motivated because they care deeply about the cause. When a friend or family member goes to a hospital where SwiftMR is installed and says, “It's over so fast” the team feels like, ‘We're doing something really meaningful,’ and ‘We want to pass that on.’ The culture at AIRS Medical is unique. As people who have won international competitions, they have the confidence and conviction that they are the best at solving any problem that comes their way. They challenge themselves with their current strengths without setting limits. They have the most talented, like-minded people in the world working together. To this day, the management team spends more than half of its time and effort focusing on finding talent.

"Jingu Lee knows what to do now" - Hyeseong Lee, Co-CEO of AIRS Medical

"When he has a goal he wants to achieve, he's crazy about it" - Jingu Lee, Co-CEO of AIRS Medical

Co-founders Jingu Lee and Hyeseong Lee are building Airs Medical with flexibility and determination. Jingu excels at setting current priorities for big dreams and aligning people in that direction, and Hyeseong excels at focusing on the essentials, drawing big goals and painting a broader picture of where they need to go. Their strengths complement each other and are the engine that drives AIRS Medical towards its big dream. More than 90 percent of its general decisions are made with respect for the opinions of the front-line managers. However, certain principles aligned with the company’s philosophy are non-negotiable at AIRS Medical. Even if 99 out of 100 people are against it, it will be done. There are four singular points that illustrate the tenacity of AIRS Medical, which is related to the company's founding principle of growing and doing big things with friends.

First Singularity: Winning the fastMRI Challenge

For the second year in a row, AIRS Medical won first place in the fastMRI Challenge organised by Facebook and New York University Langone Health in 2019 and 2020. It is a global challenge that includes leading MRI manufacturers such as Siemens, GE, and Philips. The company embraced the challenge with determination and confidence in its team. And they won. Seeing AIRS Medical's name on the leaderboard was an overwhelming feeling for the team. 

Second singularity: First revenue

SwiftMR, the company’s MRI acceleration solution, was commercialised and licensed, and it generated AIRS Medical’s first revenue in late 2021. They met potential customers by putting out a product, believing in it, and pushing it hard. They didn't copy what someone else had done before, but created their own unique way of commercialisation. When they finally signed the company’s first contract and first revenue came in, it was such a rewarding feeling. That feeling of being able to add so much value, of having worked for that moment, is still a huge driving force for them.

The third singularity: AIRS Medical–artiQ Merger 

Looking back, both co-founders are convinced that the merger of AIRS Medical and artiQ about a year ago was the right decision. The merger was followed by a reallocation of staff through company-wide review of resources, and, for the image processing product line including SwiftMR, a clearer blueprint. For AIIV, an automated solution for venipuncture, the development process has been given a boost.

The fourth singularity: Global sales

The first sales in the US was made in 2023. Everyone on the team is excited and amazed that a medical AI technology that started in Korea is now making sales around the world. There is a sense of excitement throughout the company about the big dreams and growth of AIRS Medical. The global sales journey highlights AIRS Medical’s tenacity. In the U.S., after receiving FDA clearance, it started by incorporating a company in Chicago and hiring local staff, which allowed them to meet customers by diligently seizing opportunities. In Southeast Asia, the company took a more aggressive approach, using distributors to reach out to customers. With an attitude of constant learning, they’re hitting the ground running, but they’re getting there. 

"People often ask us how we beat the big manufacturers like Siemens, Philips and GE. We think they should be thinking about how they’re going to beat AIRS Medical. Our customers recognise us as the best value for money, and our cause is unique."

- Jingu Lee, Co-CEO, AIRS Medical

AIRS Medical is at the beginning of the big picture. They envision a world where medical data generated at the point of care is used for the benefit of the patient, and the highest quality of care is available at any local hospital. Data-driven healthcare is not only about how data flows, but also about how the know-how of individual doctors and medical staff can be shared by all doctors and medical staff around the world. SwiftMR will be the anchor to get that data up to the cloud. This big picture is only possible by designing and envisioning the entire pipeline. With this anchoring and data, AIRS Medical will pursue the cause of creating a world without sickness.