Startups transforming the wearable segment in India
Wearable startups are gradually proliferating across India IoT technology is still in its initial stages, but with time it is turning out into a disruptive field. IoT is quickly gaining popularity, in a manner internet and mobile technologies did once. Google, Apple and Samsung are some of the global firms transforming the space with introduction of innovative wearable offerings like health monitoring devices, smartwatches, and smartglasses. Accenture had earlier conducted a survey for adoption of wearable technologies in the country. The report showed India to lead the charts in terms of readiness to buy. The breakdown for various devices reflected 80, 76, and 74 percent in the fitness monitoring, smart watch, and eyeglass segments respectively. Few startups in the country are striving ahead successfully in the wearable technology space, and over the last year the adoption has escalated remarkably. From shoes, to wristbands and rings, Indian startups are furnishing the right tools which help you help you switch on your home appliances at a touch, or even proactively track your health and fitness. The country sees almost 1.5 million engineers graduate every year, and the push towards developing and integrating newer technologies keeps on increasing. Given the backdrop of technological growth, it’s only conspicuous that entrepreneurs today are shifting towards the wearable industry. Based on extensive research and key insights obtained from industry itself, we present to you some of the startups making a difference in the embedded technology and smart devices arena. Actofit Actofit smartwatch The wearable startup was founded in 2014 by Pratik Saraogi and has since received two major rounds of funding from Next Orbit Ventures VC Fund as well as a series of Angel Investors. Still in its early stages, Actofit started with introduction of a wristwear with biosensing capabilities and a sophisticated motion tracking platform. The device renders capabilities which allow ‘fitness freaks’ to track, identify, analyze, and predict meaningful information. The data obtained through this device is converted to actionable insights which help in optimizing workouts. The device essentially tracks the complete workout schedule by identifying exercises, counting reps, measuring heart rate and exercise specific caloric burns. The device auto-logs all the data collated onto the user app as well as cloud portal, for them to leverage the same and take data-driven decisions. The device is powered by advanced machine learning algorithms, data science, and an array of cloud computing technologies. The application has been made available for iOS and Android users. Actofit has been churning significant value in the wearable industry, by designing devices which actively track your lifestyle activities. Recently, the firm concluded a very successful CES exhibition featuring some technology behemoths, with whom Actofit has initiated few pilot projects. These products will be made available through Amazon for India, US, and UK. GetActive GetActive Smart Wearable Serving the arena concerning employee well-being and disease prevention, GetActive was founded by Mohammed Hussain Naseem, back in 2009. With this startup, Mohammed had a vision to gamify corporate wellness, for more effective results. GetActive focuses on employee engagement for every wellness activity undertaken through its gamified approach. The device essentially manages an individual’s complete wellness calendar, furnishing them with detailed insights. The technology platform from GetActive is designed based on HIPAA guidelines for maintaining data privacy and security. The platform is device-independent and can connect with global health platforms such as Google Fit and Apple Health Kit, besides reflecting compatibility for multiple wearable tech devices, and other applications. Cisco, KPMG, Accenture, and GE are some key clients that leverage GetActive’s unique technology. Positive heath behavioral changes are usually observed in the engaged employee consumer base. GetActive’s platform also allow corporate enterprises to foster high employee engagement in programs, improve energy levels, reduce the number of sick leaves taken, and effectively manage wellness programs for the employees. SenseGiz Sensegiz SAFR SenseGiz has been Chosen as one of the iconic IOT startups under the NASSCOM-Govt. of India IOT Center of Excellence, SenseGiz Furnishes IoT solutions and designs devices pertaining to the wearable segment. The startup was founded by Abhishek Latthe in 2013, and has received a pre series A round funding of $500k raised from KARSEMVEN VC. Their IoT offerings are commercialized for smart buildings, security, and smart city applications, using a combination of connected hardware, cloud analytics & apps. SAFR is their wearable offering, shaped in the form of a smart band. The band can proactively track sleeping parameters, step count, distance covered and calories burnt on daily, weekly, and monthly bases, and is designed to work with both iOS and Android apps. The fitness monitoring device can sense fall/crash events automatically, and proactively sends an audible alert, email and SMS to emergency contacts using the app. Moreover, SAFR is water-resistant and integrates a built-in emergency button which allows user to relay alerts with the precise location, just by pressing it. The most recent project at SenseGiz revolves around designing a device, named COIN. SenseGiz plans to integrate SAFR with COIN. This integration will allow SAFR to forward any crash/fall detected directly to COIN, where the data transmission to the server will take place through BLE+WIFI gateway. Goqii Goqii Wearable Founded in 2014 by Vishal Gondal, Goqii essentially serves the healthcare and fitness industry with its innovative wearable and related offerings. Goqii’s innovative offering in the wearable segment is shaped in form of a band which can display time, date, step counts, distance, active time, calories burned, and Karma points. The device integrates an auto-sleep detection service, which analyses users’ movement patterns to identify if they are sleeping or not. The band reflects compatibility for devices running Android 4.3 or higher, iOS version 7 or higher, and Windows Phone 8.1. One of the updated feature on the band is its ability make NFC payments. However, the feature is currently limited to holders of Axis Bank accounts. Other features on the device include provision for an integrated USB charger, larger display, access control, alarms and inactivity alert, and water resistant capabilities. Recently, the startup announced an update to its ecosystem by integrating doctors and diagnostics. The new portfolio comprises of an array of special health services such as the Health Risk Assessment and Health locker, along with the newly improved Goqii fitness band. The firm has also brought in doctors who are skilled in dealing with general medical and lifestyle related issues.
IoT technology is still in its initial stages, but with time it is turning out into a disruptive field. IoT is quickly gaining popularity, in a manner internet and mobile technologies did once. Google, Apple and Samsung are some of the global firms transforming the space with introduction of innovative wearable offerings like health monitoring […]
IoT technology is still in its initial stages, but with time it is turning out into a disruptive field. IoT is quickly gaining popularity, in a manner
["IoT India", "NASSCOM"]
["data science", "Go", "machine learning", "AI", "IoT India", "cloud computing", "Scala", "RAG", "Ray", "analytics", "NASSCOM", "R"]
["AI", "machine learning", "data science", "analytics", "Ray", "RAG", "cloud computing", "R", "Go", "Scala"]
Bhasker is a techie turned media entrepreneur. Bhasker started AIM in 2012, out of a desire to speak about emerging technologies and their commercial, social and cultural impact. Earlier, Bhasker worked as Vice President at Goldman Sachs. He is a B.Tech from the Indian Institute of Technology, Varanasi and an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow.