Kakao Healthcare

What Kakao Healthcare does

Kakao Healthcare is a Seongnam, South Korea-based digital health company founded in 2022 as a subsidiary of Kakao Corp., which built an AI-driven mobile glucose management platform centered on its flagship product PASTA, a Class-2 software medical device certified by the Korea Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. PASTA integrates continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) telemetry from partner devices (Dexcom G7, CareSens Air, Mallya Smart Cap) with user-entered lifelog data and applies Vision AI for meal recognition and a recommendation engine grounded in Korean Diabetes Association guidelines; the company reports approximately 150,000 downloads and 110,000 CGM users since February 2024, generating a proprietary dataset of 2.65 million meal records and 2.2 million exercise records.

The company operates three business units: Virtual Care (PASTA, Karechat chatbot, Digital Front Door via KakaoTalk), Digital Transformation of Hospitals (Connected Hospital, Clinical Collaboration, Decision Support), and Data Enabler (Healthcare Data Research Suite, Haycorn portal, R-Alliance research network with Samsung Medical Center, Korea University, Yonsei Severance, Ewha, Chonnam National). Revenue is generated through subscription and professional services to hospitals, pharmaceutical companies (Sanofi-Aventis Korea, Novo Nordisk), and research institutions, with consumer PASTA monetization deferred in favor of user acquisition.

In November 2025, CHA Bio Group acquired a 43% controlling stake for 80 billion won (~$54.5M), combining Kakao's consumer technology ecosystem with CHA Bio's Asia-Pacific clinical network. The company has announced geographic expansion into Japan, the United States, Indonesia (pilot), and Canada (via Providence Health Care partnership), and has diversified beyond glucose into blood pressure monitoring through Sky Labs and Omron integrations.

Name

Kakao Healthcare

Legal name

Kakao Healthcare Corp. (주식회사 카카오헬스케어)

Website

https://kakaohealthcare.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Kakao Healthcare builds an AI-powered digital health platform centered on PASTA, a Class-2 certified mobile glucose management app integrating CGM data with lifelog analytics, serving diabetic patients, Korean hospitals, and pharmaceutical companies seeking real-world evidence and federated learning research infrastructure.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Health Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132)

SIC

Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841)

akta.pro primary industry

Cardiometabolic RPM & Chronic Disease Management (diabetes, hypertension, CHF, obesity) (HLALAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Diabetes Digital Therapeutics & Dose Decision Support (Bolus Calculators) (HLAHAHAJ)

Keywords

• Mobile health applications
• Glucose monitoring software
• Clinical data platforms
• AI medical devices
• Federated learning research

Headquarters

HQ city

Seongnam

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. PASTA App and Services: Mobile healthcare application revenue through potential subscription tiers for premium features, in-app purchases, and partnerships with CGM device manufacturers. App launched February 2024 with focus on user acquisition before monetization.
2. Healthcare Data Platform Services: B2B data platform services for hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and research institutions enabling multi-center clinical research through the Healthcare Data Research Suite and federated learning infrastructure.
3. Real-World Evidence and AI Solutions: Partnership-based revenue from pharmaceutical companies (e.g., Sanofi) for real-world evidence research, early disease detection solutions, and personalized care AI development.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Kakao Healthcare builds AI-powered mobile and platform software for diabetes management and clinical research. Its flagship product PASTA is a Class 2 software medical device that integrates continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices with user lifestyle data to deliver personalized glucose guidance. The company also operates a federated learning-based Healthcare Data Research Suite and chatbot-based Virtual Care tools for hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and patients.

Product overview

Kakao Healthcare operates a multi-product digital health platform organized into three business units: Virtual Care, Digital Transformation, and Data Enabler. The core consumer product is PASTA, an AI-powered mobile glucose management app that integrates with CGM devices and provides personalized health recommendations. Supporting products include Karechat for chatbot-based healthcare communication and HAYCORN for healthcare data research. The Digital Transformation unit offers hospital-facing solutions including Digital Front Door (appointment scheduling via KakaoTalk), Virtual Hospital platform (connected hospital systems, clinical collaboration, decision support), and PASTA Connect Pro for healthcare professionals. The Data Enabler unit provides the Healthcare Data Research Suite (HRS) enabling federated learning-based multi-institutional research without data export, alongside the Research Alliance network of major Korean hospitals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PASTA: AI-based mobile glucose management solution that analyzes real-time glucose levels from CGM devices and user lifelog data to provide personalized health recommendations.
• Karechat
• HAYCORN

Products and services

• PASTA AI-based mobile glucose management application that integrates with continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices (Dexcom G7, CareSens Air) to provide real-time blood glucose tracking, Vision AI-based food recognition, personalized lifestyle recommendations, and family sharing. Certified as a Class 2 software medical device by the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, targeting diabetic and pre-diabetic consumers.
• Karechat AI-powered chatbot service for healthcare communication, enabling two-way interaction between patients and healthcare providers as part of the Virtual Care ecosystem.
• HAYCORN (Healthcare Data Search Portal) Healthcare data search portal enabling researchers to discover and query clinical data insights while maintaining privacy compliance through privacy-enhancing technologies and AI.
• Healthcare Data Research Suite (HRS) Multi-institutional AI-based medical data analysis platform using federated learning and virtual workspace technology, enabling clinical research collaboration across multiple institutions without data exfiltration. Part of the Data Enabler business unit.
• Digital Front Door Digital transformation solution connecting medical staff and patients throughout the care journey, enabling appointment scheduling, preliminary health questionnaires, wait management, and bill payments through KakaoTalk integration.
• Virtual Hospital Standard platform for data utilization and information transfer that facilitates communication between medical staff and interconnects data from medical and public institutions, encompassing Connected Hospital, Clinical Collaboration, and Decision Support capabilities.

Quantifiable outcome

• PASTA downloaded approximately 150,000 times since February 2024 launch
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

AI capability10 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and major.

• Hyundai Motor and KiaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 June 2026Partnership for 2026 smart city initiative led by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. Kakao Healthcare providing health monitoring systems alongside Hyundai Motor, Kia, and Seoul National University Bundang Hospital for AI-driven urban management platforms.
• Sanofi-Aventis KoreacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 April 2026MOU for real-world evidence research and AI solution development utilizing medical data. Partnership aims to explore applications such as early disease detection and personalized care, including research on Fabry disease and asthma treatment.
• DexcomcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 January 2026Strategic partnership to launch Dexcom Stelo CGM device in Korea as first Asia-Pacific market. Kakao Healthcare integrating Dexcom G7 and CareSens Air CGM data into PASTA platform. Joint DynamiK Symposium academic events for Korean medical professionals. Dexcom providing CGM devices free of charge for Indonesia pilot programs.
• Providence Health Care (Canada)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 September 2025Strategic partnership to co-develop integrated health data platform built around privacy-enhancing technologies and AI. Combines Kakao's Haycorn data search portal and Healthcare Data Research Suite with Providence's Integrated Health Informatics Datalab. Bridge into Canadian and North American market targeting life-science and biopharma customers.
• Gangdong-gu District (Seoul)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 November 2024First MOU between a Korean local government and Kakao Healthcare for digital smart chronic disease prevention management. Joint research on diabetes patient blood sugar management and quality of life improvement.
• KMI Korea Medical InstitutemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2024Collaboration for diabetes management with health screening participants. KMI operates 8 nationwide health screening centers. Partnership provides Saluscare's Vitaport and PASTA to diabetic and pre-diabetic patients identified during screenings.
• SaluscareminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2024Partnership with Kakao Healthcare and KMI for diabetes management. Saluscare's Vitaport health screening follow-up service linked with PASTA for personalized chronic disease management.
• Konyang University HospitalmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 April 2024MOU for digital healthcare construction, medical big data collaboration, and cutting-edge systems development. Aims to provide patient-centered digital innovative medical services.
• OURHOMEmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 April 2024MOU for AI-based hyper-personalized healthcare solutions combining PASTA with OURHOME's KALIS lab nutrition program. Leverages OURHOME's 20,000+ nutrition-based menu R&D data for customized nutrition management.
• Google CloudcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 April 2024Federated learning pilot test with Google Cloud and three South Korean university hospitals on colorectal cancer mortality and complication prediction model. Data Curation business cooperation using Google Cloud infrastructure. CEO presentation at Google Cloud NEXT 2024 CRL session.
• BravecompanyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 March 2024MOU to develop and promote exercise content for glucose management. Medical experts from Kakao Healthcare and fitness experts from Bravecompany collaborating on tailored exercise content for PASTA platform.
• i-Sens (CareSens Air)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 February 2024Integration partnership for CareSens Air CGM sensor data into PASTA app. Seamless Bluetooth connectivity for real-time glucose monitoring within PASTA platform.
• Novo NordiskminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Collaboration on PASTA development mentioned at J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference alongside Dexcom and i-Sens.
• Major Korean Hospital Network (R-Alliance)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2023Research Collaboration Network (R-Alliance) officially launched with Korea University Medical Center, Yonsei University Health System, Ewha Womans University Medical Center, Samsung Medical Center, Chonnam National University Hospital, and Chonnam University Hwasun Hospital. Multi-institutional AI research using federated learning without data export.
• L'OréalminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2023MOU for precision beauty solutions development based on Real-World Evidence (RWE). Exploring data-driven personalized beauty and health solutions.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• mySugr (Roche): Acquired by Roche in 2017, mySugr is a leading diabetes self-management app with CGM and insulin-logging integrations. Most directly comparable consumer-facing AI-driven diabetes management app with global regulatory footprint.
• DarioHealth: DarioHealth offers AI-driven digital therapeutics for diabetes plus other chronic conditions via a single platform with hardware-software integration. Comparable in combining consumer engagement, chronic care management, and B2B payer/pharma channels.
• LifeScan (OneTouch): LifeScan's OneTouch ecosystem pairs glucose monitoring hardware with the OneTouch Reveal mobile app for diabetes management. Comparable consumer-CGM/hardware-app integrated diabetes management offering.
• Omada Health: Omada Health is a digital chronic disease prevention and management platform covering diabetes, hypertension, and obesity with AI-driven personalization. Comparable chronic-condition virtual care platform with payer and pharma B2B channels.
• Glooko: Glooko provides a unified diabetes data management platform that integrates with most major CGM devices, insulin pumps, and blood glucose meters. Directly comparable to PASTA's device-agnostic, multi-source data aggregation approach.
• Welldoc: Welldoc's BlueStar is an FDA-cleared digital therapeutic for diabetes combining CGM data with AI coaching. Closest US analog to PASTA in combining software-medical-device regulatory clearance with personalized AI recommendations.

Broad incumbents

• Verily (Onduo): Alphabet-owned Verily developed Onduo, a multi-condition virtual care platform including diabetes with CGM integration. Comparable AI + CGM chronic-care positioning backed by a parent with extensive R&D and capital resources.
• Teladoc Health (Livongo): Following the Livongo acquisition, Teladoc Health offers integrated chronic-condition management including diabetes within a broader virtual care portfolio. Larger, established competitor with US payer relationships and deeper clinical evidence.

Emerging players

• Noom: Noom is a consumer-facing digital health platform using AI-driven coaching for chronic disease prevention including prediabetes/diabetes. Comparable AI-personalization approach, broader chronic-condition focus, and direct-to-consumer monetization model.
• H2 Therapeutics (Voluntis): Voluntis (now H2 Therapeutics) develops FDA-cleared digital therapeutics for diabetes and oncology with insulin dose decision support. Comparable regulated software-as-medical-device positioning with pharma commercialization channels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kakaohealthcare
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@kakaohealthcare
• Facebookfacebook.com/kakaohealthcare
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kakao-healthcare
• Instagraminstagram.com/kakaohealthcare
• TikToktiktok.com/@kakaohealthcare

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors3 records

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M&A1 record

Investments1 record

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Frequently asked questions about Kakao Healthcare