ENTR 3100.

PillWise HK

Our Story

It all started with seeing our grandparents struggle with taking their medications on time and at the proper dosage. Elderly often have to take an overwhelming amount of pills each day, and the process of sorting it out, remembering the proper dosage and the correct time to take it is quite a tedious process, especially if the elderly lives alone. So we thought, how can we make the process of taking medication easier and more efficient?

Meet the Team

  • Hoi Kiu (Hiki) Hui

    Hoi Kiu (Hiki) Hui

    Co-Founder

  • A man with glasses and a nose ring sitting indoors, wearing a dark green sweater, with a blurred background and a plant to the right.

    Victor Nesteruk

    Co-Founder

  • A man with curly dark hair, glasses, and a beard, wearing a black sweater, looking thoughtfully to the side indoors near a plant.

    Andrew Yoon Su Park

    Co-Founder

  • Jin Hui Tan

    Jin Hui Tan

    Co-Founder

  • Jonathan Tian Yu Wang

    Jonathan Tian Yu Wang

    Co-Founder

  • Ling Bo Zeng

    Ling Bo Zeng

    Co-Founder

An Automative Pill sorting System.

Pill Wise

  • Minimal user intervention - users simply dump pills into a single input area. So that you can organize your medications hassle free.

  • PillWise features containers where users input pills that are then automatically sorted into daily dose.

  • Automated Sorting & Dispensing

    Pre-sorts pills into sealed, time-labeled compartments for each dose.

    Smart Alerts

    Audible and visual reminders for each dose to ensure timely medication.

    WhatsApp Integration

    Sends missed-dose alerts directly to caregivers via the platform they already use.

    Refill Management

    Automatically tracks pill inventory and alerts when a refill is needed.

    Simple Interface

    Large buttons, clear display, designed specifically with seniors in mind.

How can we provide caregivers with resources to better understand their loved one's medications?

The Key Problems We Tackle

Medication Errors

Wrong Pills or dosages leading to complications

Automated, pre-sorted doses eliminate human error in sorting and taking pill

Caretaker Burnout

Constant worry about medication adherence

Remote monitoring via WhatsApp gives peace of mind without constant check-in calls

Medication Management Anxiety

Uncertainty causing stress for both patients and families

Automated, pre-sorted Clear, time-based alerts and logs provide
certainty for both the elderly and their families

Complex Medical Regiments

Multiple medicines at different times causing confusion

The system seamlessly manages multiple medications per day, reducing confusion

Running out of medication

Last-minute pharmacy runs and treatment gap

Automated refill alerts prevent last-minute pharmacy
runs and treatment gaps

Our Business Model

PillWise HK earns money through four simple, realistic streams that match Hong Kong consumer behavior.

  • Market Validation: HK already has a US$92M drug delivery device
    market.

    We plan to sell three different tiers of products:

    • Basic: HK$650-780

    • Standard: HK$880-1050

    • Premium: HK$1180-1380

  • Demand Driven: 33-48% of elderly patients want daily reminders

    We plan to have three tiers of subscriptions:

    • Free: HK$0 - basic alerts

    • Essential: HK$28-38/month - WhatsApp alerts & refill alerts

    • Care+: HK$58-78/month - Family dashboard & full monitoring

  • Solves Real Pains: For the 28% of elderly needing long-term care

    • Home “Med-reset” Visit: HK$ 350 for professional medication review and setup

    • White-Glove Setup: HK$150-250 for installation and training service

    • Monthly Pill Review: HK$30-50 for expert medication interaction check

  • Large Addressable Market: HK's medical device market is US$620M.

    • Pharmacies - Buy devices wholesale for resale or rental

    • Employers - Offer devices as part of employee eldercare benefits

    • NGOs/Government - Bulk purchases for community support programs

Our Financial Plans & Projections

  • Month 0: Cost HK$0.5M / Revenue HK$0

    Month 12: Cost HK$3.5M / Revenue HK$1.6M

    Month 22: Breakeven at ~HK$5.8M

    Month 36: Cost HK$8.6M / Revenue HK$15M

  • Initial Investment: Covers R&D, manufacturing, and initial marketing

    Customer Acquisition Cost: Decreases as brand awareness and partnerships grow

    Recurring Revenue: Subscriptions build a stable, predictable income stream

  • PillWise is positioned to capture a significant share of a large and growing market with a sustainable, multi-stream revenue model.

    Achieving profitability within the first two years

Implementation Plan & Go-to-Market Strategy

  • Focus

    Collaborate with 5-10 private clinics in Hong Kong.

    Strategy:

    Clinics offer PillWise as an add-on service Doctors prescribe it to patients with complex

    medication needs

    Patients purchase directly at the clinic or through dedicated link

    Build clinical validation and user testimonials

  • Focus:

    Expand to retail pharmacies (e.g., Mannings, Watsons) and large employers.

    Strategy:

    Leverage data and success stories from pilot phase

    Pharmacies benefit from increased footfall and accessory sales

    Employers offer as corporate wellness benefit for staff with elderly parents

    Establish robust distribution and support channels

  • Focus:

    Collaborate with 5-10 private clinics in Hong Kong.

    Strategy:

    Clinics offer PillWise as an add-on service Doctors prescribe it to patients with complex

    medication needs

    Patients purchase directly at the clinic or through dedicated link

    Build clinical validation and user testimonials

    Become the standard for home medication management in Hong Kong.

    Strategy:

    Pursue partnerships with public hospitals and large NGOs

    Use first-mover advantage to set industry benchmarks

    Leverage large installed user base for continuous improvement

    Explore integration with health insurance and public healthcare systems

Our Story Board

  • We conducted a user testing session with approximately 6-7 participants at a local community center. The participant pool consisted of elderly users (3-4 participants, aged 60s-70s) and their adult children caregivers (2-3 participants). The testing involved presenting a Sora-generated video prototype demonstrating the device usage scenario through the character of Mrs. Lam.

  • Overall, participants demonstrated comprehension of the core concept and expressed positive reception toward the device's utility. Elderly participants specifically appreciated the Chinese language interface and the large button design.

  • Issue: Concerns regarding the need for multiple devices in households with several elderly members (i.e, cost of purchasing a separate device for each user) .

    Solution: A multi-user profile feature should be incorporated into the device design. Which includes: Individual daily medication boxes for each user, Independent medication tracking capabilities for each registered user
    User-specific notifications indicating which individual needs to take their medications
    We have updated the prototype design to incorporate a profile selection interface. However, the physical organization and logistics of the multi-user box system remain under development.

  • Issue: participants expressed uncertainty regarding the precise functionality of the scanning mechanism.

    Solution: Our response indicated probable compatibility, though definitive confirmation was not provided.

Prototype 1

Prototype 2

  • We conducted home-based user testing with the updated multi-user prototype (consisting of detailed mockups and a semi-functional demonstration model). The testing involved visits to approximately 4-5 households over a period of one and a half weeks. Participants were asked to interact with the device under observation, and detailed notes were recorded throughout the process.

  • The multi-user functionality demonstrated generally positive results. Participants successfully understood the conceptual framework, and households with multiple elderly members expressed interest in the feature.

  • Issue: A minimum of 2 participants (possibly more) reported difficulty reading the "Morning/Lunch/Evening" labels on the daily medication boxes.
    While text size appeared adequate under office lighting conditions, real-world usage conditions proved more challenging.


    Solution:

    Tactile/raised texture patterns were added to each compartment to enable tactile identification
    Label size was increased and contrast was enhanced (yellow text on black background) These modifications are intended to address low-light usage scenarios and improve accessibility for users with visual impairments.

  • Issue: In multi-user households, caregivers reported experiencing notification fatigue from excessive alerts.

    Solution: The notification system was modified to deliver a single daily summary message rather than individual dose alerts
    Immediate alerts are reserved for significantly overdue medications (2+ hours delay) User settings were implemented to allow classification of medications by urgency level: Critical medications (e.g., cardiac medications) trigger immediate alerts
    Non-critical medications (e.g., vitamins) are included only in the daily summary

  • Issue: Confusion was observed during the medication refilling process, particularly regarding user-specific compartment identification.

    Solution: A confirmation screen displaying the user's name and photograph was added to the scanning initiation process
    Visual indicators (color changes or similar cues) are being developed to indicate which user profile is currently active

Questions

What did you find out about the elderly during the development of this product ?

Our initial understanding was that elderly individuals would have a wealth of life experience and knowledge, particularly regarding values, medication management, and healthy habits. However, many elderly people in Hong Kong seem to resist this understanding. During the interview process we found that many elderly people are resistant to taking medication due to a variety of reasons. Mainly, many of our society’s older adults despise taking medication due to it being a constant reminder of their illness and mortality. By diminishing the time needed to spend worrying about medication, dosage and dosage time, we hope that older adults will not only be able to accurately take their medication but also mitigate the resistant of taking their medication.

What were some challenges/ bottlenecks you faced during this project?

One of the main struggles we had was the size of the pill. As many of you know, the pills that elderly individuals often have to take comes in different shapes and sizes. So our main design challenge is how do we figure out a universal system that can accommodate the various sizes of the pills, so that the user experience can be as simple as possible. Another challenge we faced was the limited time. We were unable to make some parts of our prototype in house, so we had to order parts on line, which took a while. This gave us insight into managing the supply chain of this product.

How do you see this project/ current prototype in the future?

This is a product we all have interest in pursuing, and there certainly many hopes we have for this product to evolve in the future.

The first step is to create a fully working prototype. Currently, we only have a prototype that is fit for demonstration, we hope to create a fully functional solution next. To achieve this, we must address the core problem. For instance, we aim to create a genuine universal solution that can accommodate tools of various sizes, while also considering how we can effectively integrate them.

We are looking at existing methods of dispensing medications from pharmacies as part of the broader vision. I believe I can contribute to this vision. We've already discussed collaborating with private clinics to establish mandatory standards for pill dispensing services for users.

Our initial focus will be on partnerships with private clinics, and then we'll expand our scope to include hospitals and pharmaceutical clinics. Our goal is to set a new standard in the industry for pill dispensary and gain a first-mover advantage to outpace competitors.