COPD is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide. 550 million people have it. 80% don't know — because the only reliable test requires an $80,000 machine, a specialist, and 40 minutes of forced breathing that many patients simply cannot do. Most people find out they have COPD after they've already lost 40% of their lung function.

In this episode, we speak with Colombia / Silicon Valley entrepreneurs Dr. Maria Artunduaga and Ricardo Garcia — a Harvard and Berkeley-trained physician-scientist and an MIT-educated audio engineer who spent a decade at Google — about Sylvee, the world's first AI-powered active acoustic wearable for lung diagnostics. The device presses against your chest, sends sound waves into your lungs, and delivers clinical-grade results in under five minutes. No specialist, no lab, no forced breathing. Validated in Protected by 18 granted patents, and already generating commercial contracts with global respiratory pharma Chiesi and strategic investment from Suramericana, the fourth largest health insurer in Latin America.

Their vision: bring hospital-grade lung diagnostics to the one billion people worldwide living with respiratory disease — from any setting, anywhere in the world.

Followed by Investor Talk with #EpicInvestor Paula Restrepo.

Hosted by Maaike Doyer & Hester Spiegel, founders of Epic Angels.