Kinematix, a Portuguese wearable technology company with a US office in Austin, Texas, has raised $2.15 million (2 million euros) from existing investor Portugal Ventures. This brings Portugal Ventures' total investment in the company to $9.66 million (9 million euros).
Last month, Kinematix launched "Tune", an activity tracker for runners that is worn inside the shoe and can track metrics about the foot itself such as stance dynamics, stance time, strides, and symmetry, in addition to metrics based on GPS data like pace and speed. As well as tracking new metrics, the company is also touting its personal coaching service on its connected app as a differentiator.
“The wearables industry is at a crucial point – people want meaningful data that’s easy to understand and put into action. That’s exactly what we do at Kinematix,” Paulo dos Santos, CEO of Kinematix, said in a statement. “Tune provides meaningful information and data-driven guidance in the form of personalized fitness plans for each individual user ... Additionally, the Tune platform for coaches, that will be available at the end of the year, enables coaches to stay connected with their athletes with every run, not just when they train together."
As of last month, Tune is available via Amazon and Kinematix's website to runners in North America and the European Union for $200 or 200 euro, depending on the region.
“Kinematix is a perfect example of the kind of innovation and game-changing technology and talent that can be found in Portugal and capable of competing on the global stage,” Celso Guedes de Carvalho, CEO at Portugal Ventures, said in a statement. “Consumer technology is a tough market to break into, but we believe the Kinematix Tune is set to change how users interact with wearables – going beyond novelty and just being cool to becoming real tools to help people improve their health over the long term.”
