College athletes are getting in on the popular worlds of wearable technology, artificial intelligence and crypto. 

Cudis, makers of an AI-powered smart ring that allows users to control their own health data and earn rewards for physical activity, has signed a one-year partnership with UCLA Athletics.

With the partnership, Cudis will get its rings into the hands of UCLA athletes and other students through campaigns including in-game promotions. Cudis will also pursue name, image and likeness (NIL) deals with UCLA athletes in sports including football, women’s gymnastics, and men’s and women’s basketball, tennis and golf. 

“This collaboration holds special meaning for us as we give back to the community that helped launch our vision,” said Edison Chen, the CEO of Cudis and a UCLA graduate. “By empowering UCLA’s student-athletes with our innovative tech, we’re not just improving their performance and health, we’re introducing them to the transformative power of blockchain and crypto, rewarding healthy habits along the way.”

Launched earlier this year, Cudis rings are built on the Solana blockchain platform and are powered by AI and Web 3 tech. Similar to popular smart rings from Oura and Samsung, Cudis rings track health metrics such as heart rate, sleep, stress and calories burned. Cudis also offers an “AI Coach” feature that provides personalized health insights.

The company has sold over 10,000 units since its rings first went on sale in April, and its online community has around 100,000 members. In September, Cudis raised $5 million in a seed funding round led by Draper Associates. 

Can the Blockchain Revolutionize Wearables?

Cudis’ partnership with UCLA comes as demand grows for fitness and wellness wearables, especially among young consumers. The company cited data that 35% of Gen Z consumers use wearables daily to track their health. 

Among wearables, the smart ring market in particular is heating up, with market leader Oura just raising $200 million at a $5.2 billion valuation and tech giant Samsung recently launching the Galaxy Smart Smart Ring.

According to Chen, two things separate Cudis from brands like Oura and Samsung: a reward system that encourages physical activity and the blockchain, which allows Cudis to safeguard its users’ health data. 

On the rewards front, Cudis users can earn points for engaging in healthy habits and actions, which are tracked by the ring and redeemable for exclusive rewards, including cryptocurrency airdrops. 

Cudis also uses cryptographic signatures, IPFS storage and blockchain verification to safeguard users’ health data. The company says this gives users “complete ownership” of their data.

Data as Currency

Chen argues that Cudis users benefit from a higher level of data privacy than they’d get with wearables like Oura, Whoop or the Apple Watch (these brands have data-privacy policies, although they don’t use blockchain verification). 

“Once you put the data on the chain, your data becomes your asset,” Chen told ATN. “This is the first time that users can actually own their health data as an asset. Whoever wants to use your data needs your approval – even us.”

In time, Chen says Cudis users will be able to monetize their own health data, including potentially selling their data to companies who may want to purchase it for research or marketing purposes. 

“Our data can actually be worth up to $5,000 every year,” Chen believes. 

Big Ambitions

Earlier this month, Cudis launched its second generation smart ring model, the Cudis 002 ($349), which offers up to 10 days of battery life, five meters of Bluetooth connectivity and is waterproof up to a depth of 50 meters. 

Cudis aims to sell one million smart rings and grow its online community to at least 5 million members in the years ahead, Chen told ATN. 

However, he’s quick to point out that the brand’s long-term mission goes beyond sales targets. 

“We want people to realize how important and how valuable their data is,” Chen said. “We want people to know your wellness data is an asset just like your house. If you can rent your house to get paid, you can do the same thing with your data.”

The post Cudis, a Crypto Smart Ring, Teams With UCLA Athletics appeared first on Athletech News.

Oura has unveiled its 2024 Year in Review, an in-depth look at the sleep, activity, recovery and stress resilience trends of its global community. The report aggregates insights from Oura members worldwide but also introduces personalized personality types based on health strengths: Earth (Resilience), Water (Sleep), and Fire (Activity). Oura’s data scientists analyzed de-identified, aggregated metrics collected from December 2023 through November 2024 to create the insights.

Global Sleep Trends

New Zealand led the pack with an impressive average Sleep Score of 79.8, closely followed by Australia (78.7), Sweden (78.5), Finland (78.4), and Austria (78.2). This trend highlights the sleep-centric lifestyles of Oceania and Scandinavia, regions known for their wellness-oriented cultures. The global mean Sleep Score across all Oura members was 77.0, reflecting a strong focus on nightly rest among users worldwide.

Most Active Nations

When it comes to movement, Ireland topped the charts, with members averaging just over 10,000 steps per day. Other European countries, including Estonia, Sweden, and the UK, were not far behind. The data points to Europe’s pedestrian-friendly infrastructure and active lifestyles as key factors in these high step counts. Research has long shown the cardiovascular and metabolic benefits of walking, with studies suggesting that even 7,000 steps per day can significantly enhance health.

Stress Levels

Interestingly, stress patterns varied widely. While Sundays recorded the least “stressed minutes,” Fridays, perhaps due to celebrations, ranked as the most stressful. The United States topped the list for average daily stressed minutes, followed by Norway and the Netherlands.

Introducing Health Personalities: Fire, Water & Earth

This year, Oura debuted Health Personality Types, offering members personalized insights into their strengths. Fire represents activity and includes members who consistently met their movement goals. Water reflects strong sleep habits, with members in this group prioritizing nightly rest. Earth symbolizes resilience: members who balance stress and recovery with ease. A small majority of members were characterized as Fire, demonstrating a commitment to being active.

Cardiovascular Age

Oura’s Cardiovascular Age (CVA) feature, launched in May 2024, estimates arterial health through pulse wave velocity (PWV). This metric revealed that members in Sweden and Norway had CVAs approximately 2.6 and 2.4 years below their chronological ages, reflecting exceptional cardiovascular health. The Netherlands, known for its cycling culture, also ranked highly in this category.

Oura members can find their personalized year in review in the app by navigating to the Today tab or accessing the Reports section in the menu. The latest Oura app version is required, and members with at least 60 days of data are eligible. Members can also share their achievements with friends and family by tapping the share icon within the app.

The post Oura’s 2024 Year in Review Report Highlights Recovery Trends appeared first on Athletech News.

Oura has completed a $200 million Series D funding round, raising the smart ring maker’s valuation to $5.2 billion.

The round saw participation from Fidelity Management & Research Company and Dexcom, which will fuel Oura’s plans to expand its product offerings, explore additional acquisitions and invest further in AI.

Dexcom — a leader in the medical device space with its advanced glucose biosensing systems — partnered with Oura last month, where smart ring users will be able to integrate Dexcom’s glucose data with vital signs, sleep, stress, heart health and activity metrics from the Oura Ring. The first integration between Oura and Dexcom will launch in the first half of 2025. 

“As we continue to drive momentum and growth, we are bolstered by the additional support of these investors,” Oura CEO Tom Hale said. “We’ve made significant progress in advancing our mission to make health a daily practice and will use this funding to unlock new opportunities, with AI development at the center of our strategy. We know that Oura has the potential to change lives at scale, and we’re excited to continue leading the market in innovation while pursuing opportunities that extend beyond the ring.”

The Series D caps off a stellar year for the wearable leader, with its member base and revenue more than doubling. In November, Oura announced it would acquire Sparta Science, a move that will improve and expand its Oura Teams B2B offering. The deal follows Oura’s acquisition of metabolic health company Veri earlier this fall.

As for what’s ahead “beyond the ring,” Oura appears well-equipped for whatever is next, having onboarded former Apple exec Miklu Silvanto as its new chief design officer this summer. Silvanto was influential in designing several generations of Apple products, including MacBooks, iPad Pro and the Apple Pencil.

“Wearable tech is for anyone who wants to better understand the state of their health and live more optimally, for longer,” Hale said. “We’re committed to continuing our relentless pace of innovation and delivering exceptional value to Oura members, and this new round of funding will enable us to do just that.”

Wearables have rapidly evolved from simple step trackers to constant health monitors. Like Oura, Garmin is optimistic about the space, envisioning a future where wearables become the cornerstone of global healthcare systems, providing doctors with valuable sleep and heart rate data to inform treatment plans. The tech company highlighted the benefits of its devices at its annual health summit in September, emphasizing their long battery life and high-quality biometric sensors.

The post Oura Hits $5.2B Valuation appeared first on Athletech News.

Wearable health tech is reaching new heights.

Medical device leader Dexcom has made a $75 million strategic investment in wearable ring maker Oura, pushing the wearable ring maker’s valuation to over $5 billion.

The two companies have also partnered to integrate Dexcom’s glucose data with vital signs, sleep, stress, heart health, and activity metrics from the Oura Ring, providing wearers with a more comprehensive view of their health. The sides say the data will flow between both Oura and Dexcom and their associated apps, with the first integration slated to launch in the first half of 2025.

“Dexcom offers the most accurate glucose biosensing systems on the market that help reveal the impact of daily lifestyle choices on glucose levels and enable our users to make informed decisions about their health and overall well-being,” Dexcom executive vice president of strategy and corporate development Matt Dolan said. “Partnering with Oura gives us the opportunity to redefine the category again, integrating data from Dexcom glucose biosensors with the continuous insights and metrics measured by Oura Ring. This powerful combination will attract new shared customers who want to better understand the link between activity, sleep, nutrition, and their glucose.”

As Oura CEO Tom Hale points out, the majority of Oura members (97%) have expressed interest in understanding how food choices impact their health. 

“This partnership with Dexcom will enable us to empower our members to make informed decisions and adjust behaviors to positively impact their biometrics and long-term health,” Hale says. “Working together, Oura and Dexcom will help members decide what and when to eat by surfacing correlations between activities like sleep and exercise and members’ glucose levels. And because we know that people are affected differently by the same foods and activities, guidance and insights will be personalized.”

The partnership also sees both Dexcom and Oura cross-promoting each other’s products. This year, the Food and Drug Administration cleared Dexcom to launch the Stelo Glucose Biosensor System, the first over-the-counter CGM.

Earlier this fall, Oura acquired Veri, a Finnish personalized health company, to accelerate its advancements in the health data and CGM space. The company also onboard former Apple executives Miklu Silvanto as its new chief design officer and Jason Oberfest as its VP of healthcare.

The post Oura Hits $5B+ Valuation, Partners with Dexcom appeared first on Athletech News.

Ōura is set to acquire software company Sparta Science, boosting the smart ring maker’s ability to improve and expand its Oura Teams B2B offering.

The deal sees Ōura leveraging Sparta Science’s Trinsic data platform, designed to enhance the process of collecting, analyzing and delivering human health and performance information at scale. The sides say several technical and data science experts from the Sparta Science team will join Ōura.

The smart ring maker recently launched its Oura Ring 4 and has seen its member base more than double over the past year

“Our enterprise offering supports organizations of all kinds to solve complex health and human performance challenges at scale, such as optimizing sailors’ schedules for maximum rest and recovery and early detection of illness,” Ōura chief commercial officer Dorothy Kilroy said. “Through our work over the years with partners like the Department of Defense, we’ve proved that Oura Ring is uniquely positioned to support population health remotely and at scale. The addition of Sparta Science and its Trinsic data platform will help us meet the specific needs of our partners.”

In addition to sleep-tracking solutions for sailors, the wearable tech brand has served as a research tool in other areas, such as assisting the Air Force in managing long-haul flight-related fatigue and supporting Navy SEALs to monitor the impact of stress.

The enterprise data management platform from Oura Teams, used by both military and private sectors for monitoring and analyzing health metrics, gives account administrators the ability to invite their team to opt in and share data, manage users, review group insights and trends and visualize or export data.

With Trinsic, Oura Teams will be able to merge insights from the Oura Ring with third-party data sources, enable customizable solutions with existing systems such as electronic medical records or athlete management systems, and provide insights for scheduling optimization, return-to-duty processes, and fitness and safety measures.

“Trinsic is a powerful data platform that can address many of the advanced needs of Ōura’s customers,” Sparta Software’s chief technology officer Greg Olsen said. “By joining forces, we can create a more comprehensive and scalable solution. Our technology will enable Oura Teams to incorporate a wider range of data sources, perform more precise individual and population-level analyses, and ultimately better serve unique customer requirements.”

Oura’s acquisition of Sparta Science is its third in two years. The tech company acquired digital identity signal platform Proxy last May and, more recently, metabolic health company Veri earlier this fall.

The post Oura Acquires Sparta Science to Enhance B2B Offerings appeared first on Athletech News.

Oura, the smart ring company, released its first-ever Perimenopause Report to provide insights into how physical changes impact daily functioning. The company conducted a study comprised of data from over 100,000 female Oura members over one year to better understand sleep patterns, emotional health, and cardiovascular risks.

Sleep Disruptions

One of the study’s major findings was the detrimental impact of perimenopause on sleep. The transitional state from perimenopause to postmenopause caused a progressive decline in both quality and quantity of sleep. On average, women lose up to two hours of sleep each week during this period, with reduced REM and deep sleep. Over 50% of women report experiencing hot flashes and night sweats, with up to 69% of these events associated with nighttime awakenings.

“Fragmented sleep from waking during the night increases the risk for sleepiness, reduced performance at work or school, fatigue, irritability, and car accidents and illness, while a night of consolidated sleep offers the optimal benefit to our help, mood, and ability to combat viral infection,” said sleep scientist Dr. Rebecca Robbins.

Emotional Health

Perimenopause also profoundly impacts women’s emotional health. Women in late perimenopause are 33% more likely to experience anger, 28% more likely to feel sadness, and 44% more likely to experience migraines compared to premenopausal women. Acne also impacts 51% more women in this stage.

“Women do not realize that the symptoms they’re experiencing are signs of perimenopause because of a lack of knowledge, both among women and among clinicians,” said Sara Szal, MD, precision medicine practitioner and author of Women, Food, and Hormones.

Heart Health

Cardiovascular health also becomes a significant concern during perimenopause. The report shows a 20-30% decline in heart rate variability (HRV), an important marker of cardiovascular health, during early and late perimenopause. Lower HRV is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Other changes can contribute to an increased risk of cardiovascular problems, like decreased estrogen, increased belly fat, sleep disruption, and stress.

New Features and Partnerships

In response to the report’s findings, Oura is enhancing its platform with 17 new symptom tags that allow members to better track and understand their perimenopausal journey. These tags include indicators like hot flashes, mood swings, low motivation, and urinary issues, helping users make connections between their biometric data and their symptoms. This personalized data can empower women to take control of their health and have more informed conversations with healthcare providers.

Additionally, Oura has announced new partnerships with menopause-focused brands, including Mira, Proov, Hertility, and sanoLiving. These collaborations are designed to provide women with more resources and support as they navigate the complex changes of perimenopause.

“This report highlights our work to redefine the narrative around perimenopause, shining a much-needed light on the overlooked and under-researched range of physical and mental changes women experience,” wrote the Women’s Health Lead at Oura, Neta Gotlieb, PhD in the introduction to the report. “We remain steadfast in delivering a comprehensive, meaningful approach to women’s health and well-being, no matter their stage of life.”

The post Oura Releases Perimenopause Report appeared first on Athletech News.

Oura is going all-in on quality as it gears up to fight off competition from the likes of Samsung in the red-hot smart ring space. 

On Thursday, the Finnish brand unveiled the Oura Ring 4, which features new and improved sensors designed to offer more accurate readings, longer battery life, and increased comfort for wearers. 

The Oura Ring 4 is highlighted by Smart Sensing, with research-grade sensors housed inside the ring that adapt to the finger to deliver more accurate data for metrics including blood oxygen sensing, breathing, and heart rate. 

Thanks to Smart Sensing, Oura says the newest version of its ring offers notable improvements in overnight blood oxygen measurements (SpO2), breathing disturbance index (BDI), and daytime and nighttime heart-rate tracking. 

The smart sensors are recessed within the Oura Ring 4, which Oura says provides a more comfortable wear. In the Oura Ring Gen3, the previous model, the sensors were housed in a raised dome, meaning many users could feel the sensors while wearing the ring. 

Available for preorder now and set to start shipping October 15, the Oura Ring 4 will retail for between $349 and $499 depending on color and will offer up to eight days of battery life. 

Oura is also redesigning its app to provide users with a more streamlined overview of their overall health picture, including easy access to daily and long-term health metrics like stress and resilience, women’s health, and heart health.

“Oura Ring is designed to be a personal health companion, giving our members a holistic view of their health by pairing personal data with meaningful, actionable insights to facilitate long-term changes,” said Oura CEO Tom Hale. “The next-generation Oura Ring 4, reimagined Oura App, and the development of the Smart Sensing platform represent significant steps forward for wearables across accuracy, comfort, personalization, and design.”

Can Oura Stay on Top?

Oura, which has sold over 2.5 million rings worldwide and is nearing $500 million in annual revenue, has dominated the smart ring market since the brand was founded in 2013.

However, the space has become more crowded as of late, with new brands entering the market as demand rises for smart rings, which track a host of metrics including heart-rate variability (HRV), blood oxygen rate, body temperature, and sleep, and offer a lower profile than smartwatches. 

Samsung made headlines earlier this year when it launched its Galaxy Ring, packing it with features that make it a serious competitor to the Oura Ring. There are rumors that Apple could enter the smart ring space as early as 2025, although that’s still highly speculative. 

With the Oura Ring 4, the Finnish tech company appears to be leaning into its reputation as the “OG” in the smart ring space. With Smart Sensing, Oura wants to make it known that its rings provide the best and most accurate data on the market as users look to track their sleep, steps, and stress more than ever before. 

The post Oura Ring 4 Features Improved Accuracy, More Comfortable Design appeared first on Athletech News.

Oura, makers of the sleek smart ring, has acquired Veri, a Finnish personalized metabolic health company. The deal is expected to advance the Oura ring to new levels in terms of health data as it goes toe to toe with Samsung’s Galaxy Smart Ring. The two companies have worked together before. Last year, Oura had partnered with Veri to understand the relationship between sleep and glucose biomarkers.

Oura CEO Tom Hale noted that metabolic health is not only a natural next dimension of the wearable tech brand, but one that’s been requested by Oura customers. 

The company has sold over 2.5 million smart rings since its 2013 launch.

Big Interest in Metabolic Health

Metabolic health certainly is top of mind for Oura wearers. The wearable tech company shares that 97% of members have expressed interest in understanding the correlation between food and its impact on their health. One survey of Oura members revealed that 13% have worn a continuous glucose monitor (CGM), while over half (53%) are interested in wearing a CGM in the next 12 months. 

Oura members aren’t unique in terms of their interest in CGMs. All signs indicate that the devices are poised to become as commonplace as a smartwatch, especially as consumers become increasingly health-focused and seek a data-driven approach. It’s an area that has also seen excitement from investors, with companies such as Ultrahuman, BoydSense, Biolinq, Allez Health all securing capital in the CGM space this year. 

What’s Next for Oura?

And although the Oura ring is currently a standalone product, Hale noted that could soon change following Oura’s acquisition of Veri.

“We see a world where the product experience includes other health data inputs and sensors, such as CGMs, factoring into the data and insights presented within the Oura App,” he said. “The expertise of Veri’s team will help accelerate this vision, strengthening our product and opening up new avenues for metabolic health offerings.”

A significant portion of Veri’s team – including its three founders – are joining Oura’s staff.

Oura’s Upcoming ‘Meals’ Feature

“When most people think about metabolic health, they think of weight loss and diabetes, but, like Oura, we’ve always had a vision centered around helping people understand their health more deeply,” Veri CEO and co-founder Anttoni Aniebonam said, adding that Oura is a “like-minded Finnish brand. “Together, we’ll explore how metabolic awareness can create a more complete picture of your overall health and provide guidance to help Oura Members achieve their personal goals, whatever they may be.”

Oura smart ring members won’t have to wait long to see the impact of the company’s metabolic health push. This fall, Oura plans to roll out Meals, a new feature that assists members in tracking meal timing. Meals will give Oura users a better understanding of the connection between how and when they eat and its influence on important health metrics, such as sleep, stress and recovery. 

Last month, Oura welcomed former Apple executive Miklu Silvanto as its new chief design officer. Silvanto is overseeing software and industrial design teams in his new role, focusing on the member experience. Oura had tapped another Apple executive late last year, onboarding Jason Oberfest as its VP of healthcare. 

The post Oura Acquires Veri Amid Wider Metabolic Health Push appeared first on Athletech News.

Despite the best efforts of many, few people are truly able to put their professional talents to work in a way that changes the lives of others. 

Markus Falk, the CEO of Lifesum, has done just that, running a platform that’s helped millions of people worldwide change their relationship with food. 

Under Falk’s watch, Lifesum has grown its user base to over 65 million. It’s also worked with brands like Amazon, Nike and GE on the corporate wellness side and has struck partnerships with tech companies like Oura to push the boundaries of nutrition and sleep. 

Earlier this summer, Lifesum acquired German biomarker testing company Lykon, signaling its entry into the world of highly personalized nutrition. 

Falk sat down with Athletech News to discuss his beginnings at Lifesum, the rise of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs and why the Lykon acquisition is the beginning of a new era for the popular platform. 

The following conversation has been lightly edited for clarity and length. 

Athletech News: Can you tell us a bit about your background and why you decided to join Lifesum as CEO?

Markus Falk: I studied industrial engineering, specializing in energy systems at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden, and had a plan to get into renewable energy. That was driven by a desire to change a broken system but, at the time, I found it hard to find a context for my efforts. 

I spent time working in various tech startups; first at eBay-owned Tradera and then at Spotify, where I ended up writing a thesis on digital purchasing behaviors and how to convert free users into paying subscribers. 

I was then introduced to the founders of Lifesum. I remember sitting down in a cafe with co-founder Marcus Gners discussing how broken the healthcare system was, and a strategy to fix it. I was hooked.

ATN: What were your biggest early priorities as CEO, and how has Lifesum’s platform evolved since you came on board? 

MF: We had two main priorities: achieve profitable growth and set a clear strategy to increase the value we deliver to our users by transforming Lifesum from a single service to a platform for advanced wellness. 

We’ve made good progress. We’re now a profitable company and recently made our first big move to transform the platform by acquiring biomarker company Lykon. By combining blood tests with world-class software design, we’ll achieve a level of personalization that’s just insane. 

ATN: Can you share any info on Lifesum’s user demographics, including gender, age and nationality? 

MF: We have a huge number of users with a variety of backgrounds, demographics and health journeys ahead of them. They all turn to Lifesum with a shared goal: transforming their lives through better food choices. However, most of our users are Gen Z and Millennial women, with a large presence in the U.S. and across Europe. 

We’re also working with a growing number of companies and organizations who trust Lifesum to help their employees reap the benefits of healthier eating, including Amazon, Nike and General Electric.   

ATN: In 2024, what types of nutrition guidance are Lifesum users most interested in?

MF: Food and nutrition are deeply personal, shaped by our preferences, our body’s responses, our culture and our individual journeys. At Lifesum, this principle has always been central, guiding us to create personalized experiences for millions of people simultaneously. Weight management is important to a lot of our users but there’s always a bigger story. It’s not about the number on the scale, it’s about achieving a better life. 

In 2024, we’ll ship our first experiences connecting blood tests to our programs, following the Lykon acquisition. We also see a rising demand for food connected to vitality and longevity, an area we’ll continue to explore. 

ATN: How do you view the rising popularity of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs? Are GLP-1s positive or negative for Lifesum?

MF: The rise of GLP-1s is the biggest and most impactful development for the wellness and food industry in recent years. It’s huge and will change a lot of things. 

As for Lifesum’s role in this – what you eat is key for your wellbeing, whether you’re starting GLP-1s, on them, changing doses or getting off them. Lifesum has a clear position as a companion service to these drugs, and this is the path we are on. 

ATN: Lifesum already has over 65 million registered users. How big can the platform become? 

MF: We’ve done a lot of things and helped a lot of people but, to me, this is day one. The opportunities that lie ahead in a market exploding with the evolution of technology, science and healthcare are limitless. We will continue to develop the platform, incorporating new service layers to create more value for consumers and companies. 

With the recent acquisition of Lykon and our new capabilities, I’m confident we’ll get to multiple times our size quickly. 

ATN: Could Lifesum ever look to expand beyond nutrition and into other areas such as exercise, mental health or general wellness?

MF: For us, nutrition is at the core – this is what Lifesum is all about. What you put in your body has a profound impact on your exercise, sleep and mental health. We connect to these areas from the lens of nutrition, using our partnerships with the likes of Oura and Nike to create great experiences for users. 

As we develop Lifesum’s advanced wellness platform, we’ll continue to partner with the best in the industry and add new layers to the experience through acquisitions and partnerships. 

The post CEO Corner: Markus Falk on the Rise of Lifesum appeared first on Athletech News.

Oura has hired former Apple executive Miklu Silvanto as its new chief design officer, adding another former Apple executive as the Finnish smart ring maker looks to fight off competition from new entrants in the health and fitness wearables space.

Silvanto spent nearly a decade at Apple, working under legendary designer Jony Ive. During his tenure, Silvanto played a crucial role in shaping the design of several generations of MacBooks, the iPad Pro family, the Apple Pencil and other products.

At Oura, Silvanto will lead software and industrial design teams, overseeing the smart ring maker’s end-to-end member experience and the visual design of Oura’s hardware and software products.

“Oura has built a truly unique experience in a revolutionary form factor,” Silvanto told Athletech News. “We will continue to pioneer this space. The goal is to build infrastructure and ways of working and be in a state where great art is inevitable through focus, discipline, creativity, and care. My job is to make sure that the specifics of the design are excellent and also ensure that we spend enough time deeply considering the fundamentals of interaction.”

After Apple, Silvanto worked as chief design officer at both Airbnb and audio company Bang & Olufsen, where he successfully built and led those brands’ first internal design teams. Silvanto has also founded several companies, including Aivan, Vaarnii, and Elo Health. 

Silvanto grew up in a family of healthcare professionals, which influenced his interest in the health and fitness wearables space.

“Both of my parents are doctors, and I grew up curious and skeptical of a system where the goal isn’t optimizing for health, but rather the most efficient cure when sickness arrives,” Silvanto told ATN. “My whole career has included working on well-being and health. I believe Oura Ring will continue to pioneer the future of the category and will help to shift the healthcare paradigm from sick care to empowering health.”

Oura is the most exciting company in this space,” he added. “Capabilities such as Cardiovascular Age are simply game-changing. To have key health metrics measured in years, yet impacted in weeks through your choices is remarkable.”

Notably, Silvanto is Finnish-American, which could prove beneficial in helping Finnish brand Oura expand its market presence.

“I believe I can help bridge Oura’s roots with the audience Oura Ring has found in other markets, uniquely combining these different cultures and values,” he said.

Silvanto’s hiring comes after Oura hired another former Apple executive, Jason Oberfest, as its vice president of healthcare, last November.

Oura is currently the market leader in the smart ring space, but it’s gearing up for competition from Samsung, which launched its Galaxy Smart Ring last month. Oura and the South Korean tech giant are already embroiled in litigation over potential intellectual property disputes.

The post Oura Adds Another Apple Exec in New Chief Design Officer appeared first on Athletech News.

Samsung officially launched its highly anticipated smart ring, the Galaxy Ring, at the Galaxy Unpacked event in Paris, positioning the South Korean tech giant to compete with Oura, the biggest player in the smart ring space.

The Galaxy Ring integrates its data and insights into Samsung Health, which utilizes Galaxy AI. For sleep analysis, the ring leverages snoring, sleep movement, sleep latency, and heart and respiratory rate data to assess sleep quality. Cycle Tracking also allows female users to better track their menstrual cycle through overnight skin temperature monitoring. 

Holistic insights and motivational encouragement are provided by Samsung Health through data from the Galaxy Ring. Starting with Galaxy AI, which generates a detailed report on various health metrics, the ring helps users take daily steps to improve their physical condition.

Wellness Tips provide users with personalized messages based on their real-time health needs. The Energy Score feature demonstrates how to leverage daily habits to improve one’s readiness.  

Galaxy Ring also supports broader heart health analyses through its Heart Rate Alert, which provides instant notifications regarding unusually high or low heart rates in real-time. Users can access heart rate information, including beats per minute, time start, and time duration with Live Heart Rate Check.

Galaxy Ring also provides automatic walking and running tracking via Auto Workout Detection, and daily fitness reminders with Inactive Alert. 

“The latest additions to our wearables portfolio integrate Samsung’s most advanced technologies and innovations, enabling you to take control of your health and wellness with preventative healthcare solutions,” said TM Roh, president and head of mobile experience business at Samsung Electronics.

Samsung’s smart ring will be sold for $399.99, which splits the difference between Oura’s $299.99 Heritage ring and the Finnish brand’s $499.99 Horizon ring.

At 7mm wide and 2.6mm thick and between 2.3 grams and 3 grams, Samsung’s ring is slightly lighter than the 4 to 6-gram Oura rings. Unlike Oura, the Galaxy ring doesn’t require a subscription, which could be enticing for consumers wary of additional charges.

Samsung seems committed to securing a place in the smart ring market despite Oura’s entrenched position.

Samsung, Oura Compete in the Courtroom

Earlier this year, Samsung filed a preemptive lawsuit against Oura to prevent potential intellectual property disputes before the Galaxy Ring’s launch. The lawsuit, filed in the Northern District of California, asserted that the Galaxy Ring doesn’t infringe on any of Oura’s patents.

The lawsuit notably highlighted Oura’s media tour following Samsung’s initial announcement of the Galaxy Ring, where the Finnish company emphasized its “over 150 patents.” Samsung also noted that Oura CEO Tom Hale stated, in an interview with CNBC, that it was “very important for us to protect the innovations that we’ve brought to market,” and that “we’ll see whether or not it ( the Galaxy Ring) infringes on (Oura’s technology). And frankly, we’ll take the action that’s appropriate.”

According to industry estimates, the smart ring market could grow to $1 billion or more by the 2030s. Smart rings offer a less intrusive and comfortable way to track health data. While Oura has already carved out a sizeable market, Samsung could make smart rings more mainstream, particularly for Android users.

The post Samsung Launches Smart Ring With Health Features That Rival Oura appeared first on Athletech News.

Signe Svanfeldt is the Lead Nutritionist at Lifesum, a highly popular healthy eating platform

Our understanding of nutrition science is evolving rapidly. Experts are moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach to diet recommendations and embracing personalized nutrition, which accounts for each individual’s unique makeup. 

Why? Because evolving science gives us a deeper understanding of the complex interplay between environmental factors, genetics and diet, among others. 

In this article, we’ll explore why personalized nutrition is so important, how technology is advancing our understanding of it and what the implications of this shift are for health and wellness.

1. Why Personalized Nutrition?

Personalized nutrition tailors dietary guidance based on an individual’s unique characteristics, and includes genetics, metabolism, lifestyle and environmental factors. 

This tailored approach proves highly effective in both preventing and managing health conditions, improving outcomes by addressing specific nutritional needs and providing precise guidance to optimize overall nutritional balance.

Gut Health

Did you know, the human gut microbiome contains trillions of bacteria, which collectively weigh around 2 kilograms in an average adult! These bacteria play crucial roles in digestion and immunity, comprising a diverse ecosystem with considerable individual variation that influences wellbeing and overall health.

Research indicates that variations in gut bacteria can significantly impact fiber metabolism and susceptibility to conditions such as obesity and diabetes. 

Personalized nutrition leverages this understanding to tailor diets that promote the health of each individual’s specific microbiome, thereby improving digestion, enhancing nutrient absorption and lowering the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Genetics 

Let’s not forget the role of genetics, because advances in research have confirmed the huge impact of genes on individual responses to diet. 

Recent large-scale studies have demonstrated significant variations in dietary reactions among individuals–even among identical twins.

Key genetic markers have emerged as predictors of how individuals will respond to specific diets, influencing outcomes such as weight loss success. 

These findings underscore the importance of personalized nutrition strategies that take into account each person’s unique genetic profile to optimize health outcomes effectively.

Lifestyle 

It’s easy to forget how lifestyle factors such as stress, sleep quality and physical activity significantly influence nutritional requirements. 

Personalized nutrition integrates these variables, tailoring dietary recommendations to fit each individual’s unique daily routine and environmental conditions. 

For example, individuals with allergies or intolerances require diets that avoid triggering foods while ensuring nutritional adequacy. 

This personalized approach not only supports overall well-being but addresses other factors such as mental health concerns like depression and anxiety through targeted nutrient strategies such as omega-3 fatty acids, probiotics and antioxidants. 

2. Advances in Technology

Wearable Devices & Digital Health

How many devices do you use to monitor your health? 

Wearable devices and digital health technologies have transformed personalized nutrition by providing real-time data on physical activity, sleep patterns, heart rate and stress levels, which enables precise dietary recommendations tailored to individual health metrics. 

Wearable devices and digital health technologies also foster adherence to nutrition plans by providing continuous feedback and motivation, ultimately promoting healthier behaviors aligned with individual health needs and lifestyle factors.

For instance, sleep data plays a crucial role in overall health, influencing dietary choices and calorie consumption. 

Take Lifesum’s collaboration with Oura. This partnership combines advanced data analytics from Oura’s sleep-tracking technology with Lifesum’s nutrition and wellness platform and allows users to gain deep insights into how their dietary choices impact their sleep patterns and overall health. By understanding this relationship, users can make informed decisions about their specific nutrition and lifestyle habits to optimize their well-being.

Wearable devices and digital health technologies not only track nutrient intake and offer behavioral insights but also integrate biometrics like blood glucose levels for personalized meal planning and management of chronic conditions. 

Lifesum’s recent acquisition of Lykon, Germany’s top biomarker-based personalization nutrition company, further enhances these capabilities, offering users in-depth health insights and personalized nutrition recommendations grounded in medical science. This advancement enables users to scientifically validate and improve their health conveniently, gaining unparalleled insights into their nutritional needs, metabolic type and overall well-being. 

AI & Real-Time Data

AI and real-time data are transforming personalized nutrition by continuously monitoring and analyzing individual health metrics such as activity levels, biometrics and dietary habits. 

Utilizing AI algorithms, these technologies predict and adjust dietary recommendations in real-time, ensuring precise responses to immediate health needs and conditions. 

By integrating diverse data sources including genetic information and microbiome analysis, AI-driven systems deliver highly personalized nutrition plans that optimize nutrient intake and support individual health goals. 

This approach provides dynamic feedback, personalized meal planning and scalable solutions that enhance user engagement, improve adherence to nutrition plans and effectively manage chronic conditions. 

3. Health & Wellness

Enhanced Quality of Life

Personalized nutrition extends beyond disease prevention to improve quality of life by catering to individual needs and preferences. 

Tailored dietary plans can enhance energy levels, mental clarity and overall well-being, aligning precisely with each person’s distinctive biological and lifestyle factors. 

For instance, personalized nutrition is critically important for athletes because it allows for the precise adjustment of dietary intake to match individual physiological characteristics, training goals and performance requirements, ultimately maximizing performance and long-term health outcomes.

Additionally, individuals with specific dietary sensitivities or allergies can derive significant benefit from personalized diets that avoid triggering foods while ensuring sufficient nutrient intake. 

This approach not only enhances health outcomes but also fosters greater enjoyment and long-term sustainability of dietary modifications, encouraging a balanced and fulfilling lifestyle.

Health Prevention 

Personalized nutrition offers significant potential in both preventing and managing chronic diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. 

By tailoring dietary recommendations to an individual’s genetic predispositions and lifestyle factors, it becomes possible to mitigate risk factors associated with these types of conditions.

For example, individuals with a genetic predisposition to high cholesterol can benefit from personalized diets that are low in saturated fats and rich in plant sterols, effectively managing cholesterol levels and reducing the risk of heart disease. 

The Future Is Personalized

The future of nutrition is moving towards personalized approaches that account for individual genetics, metabolism, lifestyle and environment. 

This shift from one-size-fits-all recommendations reflects a deeper understanding of how these factors interact with diet to influence health. 

Personalized nutrition not only addresses specific nutritional needs and enhances adherence but also supports digestion and nutrient absorption, and reduces chronic disease risks tailored to each person’s unique biological profile. 

Integrating advancements in genetics, wearable tech and AI analytics, a personalized approach to nutrition aims to provide precise, real-time dietary guidance that adapts to individual health metrics and lifestyles, promoting balanced and sustainable nutrition.

The post The Future of Nutrition? Get Personal appeared first on Athletech News.

Oura and Circular, a French smart ring brand, entered into a settlement agreement to conclude patent litigation in a Texas federal court and the International Trade Commission.

As part of the settlement, Oura has dismissed its claims against Circular for patent infringement and granted Circular a multi-year license to allow the French brand to continue selling its smart rings and accompanying app in exchange for royalty payments.

Financial details of the arrangement weren’t disclosed. 

“Innovation is core to our culture and long-term strategy,” said Tom Hale, CEO of Oura. “The licensing agreement with Circular validates the strength of Oura’s patents and is only possible because of the significant investment Oura has made in research and development.”

“This agreement is a meaningful outcome for our investors, as well as our scientists, developers, and product teams, and all of those at Oura who innovate every day to ensure that Oura Ring provides accurate, actionable insights for our Members,” Hale added.

In March, Hale announced that the company had filed a complaint with the ITC, alleging that Circular along with smart ring brands Ultrahuman, and RingConn infringed multiple Oura patents.

“Unfortunately, when we see companies take shortcuts that imitate and ride the coattails of our innovation, we have no choice but to take action,” Hale had said. 

The complaints against Circular related to the Oura Ring’s form factor and its Readiness Score, a proprietary algorithm the Finnish company developed to provide ring wearers with insights about their physical and mental stress factors.

Oura is no stranger to lawsuits; early this month, Samsung sued the smart ring company to preemptively block any smart ring patent claims. Samsung asked a court to find that the Galaxy Ring doesn’t infringe upon five Oura patents. In the lawsuit, Samsung alleged that Oura has a pattern of aggressive IP protection.

The Galaxy Ring is expected to launch in August 2024

The post Oura, Circular Settle Patent Fight With Royalty Fee Deal appeared first on Athletech News.

The longevity movement is growing by the day as Fortune 500 companies and everyday consumers alike embrace the ideal that people should live healthy, disease-free lives into old age. Rony Sellam, the CEO of InsideTracker, a Boston-based health analytics company, is playing a key role in that evolution. 

A former Deloitte consultant and healthcare IT executive, Sellam joined InsideTracker as CEO over a decade ago, shortly after the company’s founding, after a fateful conversation with a prominent cardiologist spurred him to get involved in the preventive care space.

In the years since, InsideTracker has become one of the key players powering the booming longevity space, topping 100,000 members and inking partnerships with smart ring maker Oura and gym chain Fitness SF. 

At a high level, the company combines blood test results, DNA analysis and other metrics to help users make sense of their bodies and take actionable steps – exercise, sleep and supplementation, to name a few – so they can live longer and healthier lives. 

“Where blood testing stops is where InsideTracker starts,” Sellam explains. 

Sellam, who was born in France and started his career in Switzerland, spoke with Athletech News about his unlikely path to becoming CEO of an American tech company, what separates InsideTracker from traditional blood tests, and his predictions for the future of health and longevity. 

This conversation has been lightly edited for clarity and length.

Athletech News: Can you tell us about your background and why you decided to join InsideTracker?

Rony Sellam: After business school in Europe, I started my career in consulting with Deloitte, in Geneva, Switzerland. I then moved to Boston after Deloitte offered me an opportunity to take part in their Global Development Program, which is an 18-month to 2-year-long (exchange) program. As soon as I arrived in Boston, I fell in love with the innovation ecosystem, and my wife and I decided to stay. 

In Boston, I quickly got hired away by one of Deloitte’s clients, which happens very often in the consulting space. I fell in love with healthcare immediately upon working in healthcare IT. I was with that company for 13 years and had a great time working directly with physicians and patients, especially on the cardiovascular side. 

The connection to Insidetracker – and to the concept of prevention and longevity – came from a conversation I had with a well-known interventional cardiologist, Dr. Spencer King. He and I were sharing a Scotch one evening in Atlanta, and I asked him what I thought was a pretty benign question: “Hey, Spencer, you’re about to turn 72, you’re on top of the world of interventional cardiology, but what would you do differently looking back?” He looked at me very seriously and said, “I would have spent my career focused on prevention, not intervention. You’ve got to catch people before they’re broken.”

Through one of my mentors at the time, I got introduced to (founder) Gil Blander and scientists from Harvard, MIT and Tufts, who were doing some work for what would become InsideTracker. I immediately fell in love with the concept of extracting data from your body, mapping it to the best available science and coming back with actionable recommendations to help people live healthier and longer. That’s what InsideTracker does.

ATN: What makes InsideTracker different from a typical blood test you’d get at the lab or your primary care doctor?

RS: There’s no difference in the blood test itself. The interpretation, analysis and insights are where we make a difference. The doctor’s job is to use blood testing as a screening mechanism to identify disease, which is extremely important. However, if you’re not sick, there’s very little from a value that accrues back to the patient. For most of us, the absence of sickness does not mean health. In the U.S., there’s a 16-year difference between healthspan and lifespan.

We connect the dots between your blood test numbers and things like your age, gender, ethnicity, level of physical activity, how much alcohol you consume, etc., and offer things you can do to improve on an ongoing basis. Where blood testing stops is where Insidetracker starts. 

ATN: How has InsideTracker – and the longevity space as a whole – evolved over the 15 years since the company’s founding? 

RS: We started with blood and then added DNA and physiological markers from fitness trackers, and we’re about to add food inputs using AI. It’s going down the path of more sophisticated inputs so that actionability is increasingly precise, differentiated and personalized.

Over the last 10-plus years, it’s become really exciting because we can now see that InsideTracker is driving results not just in the first year but in year five, year six, and so on. Seeing those continuous results is amazingly rewarding. 

We’ve now surpassed 100,000 members on InsideTracker. A few years ago, when we talked about healthspan and longevity, people called us crazy. That’s now really become an accepted, exciting and growing segment. Many healthcare organizations are now interested in prevention space, the “gym-as-a-clinic” concept is growing faster and faster by the minute, and you see more and more longevity resorts coming out across the globe. I think consumers are really looking for a solution to health optimization and health improvement as opposed to just disease screening.

ATN: Speaking of the “gym-as-a-clinic,” InsideTracker recently partnered with Fitness SF, a Bay Area gym chain. How did this come about?

RS: Fitness SF has strong leadership with a vision of partnering with their members to make them healthier. Some of their leadership became InsideTracker customers and it’s changed their lives for the better from a health perspective. So they quickly realized the power and the impact this can have, and they are genuinely intent on making the type of service we provide and the type of service they provide joined at the hip; it’s not just a press release or a way for them to sell more personal training time. They genuinely believe the right solution for business success, which comes from driving results for their members, includes a health and wellness offering that is science-based, looks inside, gives you recommendations and allows you to track progress over time. It’s a very exciting partnership. 

In general, we intend to do more business-to-business partnerships. We’re the only company in the space that has published science around our platform. We’ve been around for over 10 years and we’ve accumulated a ton of data. We’re a credible, scientific player, not a fly-by-night company selling magic pills or promising the moon. 

ATN: Can larger, low-priced gym chains benefit from an InsideTracker partnership, or is it best suited to more upscale health clubs?

RS: It doesn’t have to be upscale. You’ve seen Equinox charges $40,000 a year, which is certainly not how we look at the world. We want the masses to be able to live healthier, longer. InsideTracker is absolutely applicable to large gym chains if they’re able to view it beyond just being another SKU, and they move toward a whole-health approach. 

We’re also applicable to many other segments that have a direct interest in making someone healthier, including primary care models, companies in the GLP-1 space and supplement companies. 

ATN: Can you share any predictions for what’s coming next in the health and longevity space that could change the industry?

RS: In 10 years, I doubt blood testing will be done by walking into a lab. I think it’s clear that at some point we’ll all be able to bleed, pee or sweat on our iPhones and get real-time results. We’re already doing something like that currently; we have a model with handheld devices where you get almost instantaneous results that go up to the cloud. It’s not used on humans yet, but that model is working for us at InsideTracker. 

At the end of the day, for a company like Insidetracker, we don’t care if it’s blood, DNA, fitness tracking or how we get the data. We’re the best intel and recommendation engine on the planet for health, wellness and lifestyle intervention. 

The post CEO Corner: InsideTracker’s Rony Sellam on the Future of Personalized Health appeared first on Athletech News.

Apple today previewed watchOS 11, which will bring exciting new data-driven features to the Watch including a new Vitals app, enhanced pregnancy features, training load measurement, customizable Activity Rings and safety features for late-night and early-morning workouts, demonstrating Apple’s commitment to innovating in the fitness space. 

The Vitals app allows users to surface key metrics to make informed day-to-day decisions. It provides quick access to data like heart rate, respiratory rate, wrist temperature, sleep duration, and blood oxygen levels. Users can receive notifications when metrics are out of their typical range and a message on how best to improve them. Vitals uses an algorithm developed from the Apple Heart and Movement Study, which uses real data to understand heart health and physical activity. 

Cycle Tracking & Training Load

WatchOS 11 is also focused on supporting pregnant users. After logging a pregnancy in the Health app on an iPhone or iPad, the Cycle Tracking app on the Apple Watch can track gestational age. The Cycling Tracking app can also allow users to log common symptoms during pregnancy. Pregnant users will also be reminded to take a monthly mental health assessment to combat depression and anxiety. Walking Steadiness, measured on the iPhone, can also alert users of potential fall risk during the third trimester. 

On the fitness side, to help users calibrate their weekly workouts, watchOS 11 has introduced Training Load, which measures how the intensity and duration of workouts impact a user’s body over time. The new feature can help prevent overtraining, particularly before big races.

The update also introduced a new effort rating, which allows users to track workout difficulty from 1 to 10. Many cardio-based workouts will use a new algorithm to estimate effort rating, using sources like age, height and weight, as well as GPS, elevation and heart rate. Apple Watch will establish a 28-day training load, a weighted average using effort ratings and workout durations, to help users compare their past week to their past month. The feature can also drive cycle-tracking insights for workouts. 

More Fitness Features

Activity Rings are also more customizable than ever. Users can pause their rings for a day, week or more without the pause impacting their award streak. This update likely comes at the request of many users frustrated by the Activity Ring’s lack of tracking rest days. Activity Rings can also be personalized based on the day of the week, which is particularly useful for those on specific training programs.

Apple, always ahead of the game on safety features, made “Check In” available on the Apple Watch. If users are heading out for an early run or late-night workout class, they can use the Workout app directly to access Check In. Users can then alert friends or family to keep an eye out for the end of their workout. 

The Workout app has additionally released even more workout types with enhanced GPS positioning, including soccer, football, cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, golf and outdoor rowing. Swimming now uses the Custom Workouts feature, so users can customize interval-based workouts in the pool. Apple Maps also offers hikes for all U.S. national parks, which can be accessed even without service or even an iPhone nearby.   

The developer beta of watchOS 11 is available today, with a public beta to be released next month. The full release will be available this fall for Apple Watch Series 6 or later paired with iPhone Xs or later.

The post Apple Makes Fitness Intentions Clear With Latest Watch Updates appeared first on Athletech News.

Tech giant Samsung has filed a preemptive lawsuit against Oura in a strategic attempt to prevent any potential intellectual property disputes before the launch of its highly anticipated Galaxy Ring.

The lawsuit, filed in the Northern District of California aims to ward off potential litigation from Oura, which is known for aggressive IP enforcement. 

Samsung’s suit alleges that Oura’s actions and public statements indicate an intention to challenge any new entrants into the U.S. smart ring market, including Samsung.

“Oura’s immediate response to the announcement of the Galaxy Ring was to point to the purported strength of its intellectual property portfolio,” the lawsuit states.

Samsung asserts that its Galaxy Ring does not infringe on any of Oura’s patents, and the filing outlines what it characterizes as Oura’s pattern of aggressive IP protection, noting that the company has previously sued like Ultrahuman, Circular, and RingConn upon their entries in the U.S. market. 

The lawsuit highlights Oura’s media tour following the Galaxy Ring announcement, where the company emphasized its “over 150 patents.” It also noted that Oura CEO Tom Hale stated, in an interview with CNBC, that it was “very important for us to protect the innovations that we’ve brought to market,” and that “we’ll see whether or not it ( the Galaxy Ring) infringes on (Oura’s technology). And frankly, we’ll take the action that’s appropriate.” 

Samsung has a history of patent disputes with Apple, where it challenged the validity of some of Apple’s patents, deeming them obvious or industry-standard. The legal disputes, which took place over the course of nearly seven years, ultimately resulted in a 2018 settlement between the two companies. 

The Samsung lawsuit against Oura also sheds light on the South Korean tech giant’s launch plans for the Galaxy Ring. According to the legal documentation, Samsung finalized the Galaxy Ring’s design in mid-May 2024 and plans to begin mass production in mid-June. The Galaxy Ring is expected to hit the U.S. market around August 2024. 

Oura has yet to publicly respond to Samsung’s lawsuit. If Samsung succeeds, it could reshape the competitive landscape of the smart ring industry, particularly in increasingly saturated markets like fitness wearables. 

The post Samsung Sues Oura Over IP Ahead of Galaxy Ring Launch appeared first on Athletech News.

This article is adapted from a version that originally appeared in ATN’s 2024 State of Fitness & Wellness 2024 report, available for download here

The wearables space is hotter than ever: consumers can now measure everything from sleep to stress, and, increasingly, make sense of those numbers thanks to personalized recommendations. 

Oura and Whoop may be competitors as two of the most prominent brands in the burgeoning wearables space, but their leaders move in lockstep when it comes to identifying the biggest opportunities and challenges facing the market. 

Athletech News spoke with Oura CEO Tom Hale and Whoop founder and CEO Will Ahmed to get their thoughts on where the wearables space is headed and how their brands will help drive that change.

Women’s Health Is a Top Priority

Addressing the unique health needs of females has emerged, albeit belatedly, as a key priority among fitness and wellness brands. Oura and Whoop are playing key roles in advancing women’s health through data insights. 

“Women’s health is a critical area of overall health and wellness that remains largely underrepresented, particularly how women’s bodies adjust during various stages of their life – menstruation, pre- and postpartum, and perimenopause,” Ahmed tells ATN. “Subsequently, females don’t receive adequate, science-backed information to support them during such critical times.

Ahmed pointed to Whoop’s Menstrual Cycle Insights feature, which provides training and sleep recommendations based on women’s cycles, as an important feature in that regard. In January, Whoop published a study in PLOS One, a peer-reviewed academic journal, which analyzed the physiological data of pregnancies. The study found key trends in maternal heart rate variability (HRV) inversion in singleton pregnancies, insights which could lead to being able to better predict delivery dates for premature and full-term pregnancies.

“Understanding this change in HRV has the potential to save lives, reduce medical costs, and provide more insight to expecting parents,” Ahmed says. 

Oura has also emerged as a leader in the growing women’s health movement. The ring maker has introduced Cycle Insights and Pregnancy Insights features, giving women data-backed insights into their menstrual cycles and during pregnancy, respectively. 

Oura has also forged key partnerships with companies including Natural Cycles, Flo, and Gl to enhance the accessibility of health information for women.

“These recent achievements represent Oura’s commitment to women’s health, but they are just the beginning,” Hale tells ATN. “As we continue to innovate and expand our offerings, we remain dedicated to providing women with the ultimate body literacy tool to support their health and well-being at every stage of life.

The Great Data Race

As wearable devices like Oura, Whoop, the Apple Watch and others proliferate, so too does the amount of health and wellness data floating in cyberspace. This presents challenges but also opportunities as tech brands seek to make sense of that data to deliver personalized recommendations to their customers. 

“One of the biggest challenges is the overwhelming volume of data available and improving how we can make it understandable and actionable for people to integrate the insights in a meaningful way,” Hale says.

Oura is working tirelessly to make its data more meaningful and actionable for Oura Ring wearers, Hale assures. 

“By providing members with accurate and personalized physiological insights through cutting-edge sensor technology and research-backed algorithms, Oura provides context that empowers individuals to make informed lifestyle choices,” he says. “Rather than being just a tracker, Oura aims to be a personal health companion that offers insights and suggestions based on a person’s baselines.”

Ahmed says that as data increases, consumers must have more opportunities to access “substantiated, clinically backed solutions tailored to their needs.” 

The Whoop founder also pointed to the prevalence of data privacy concerns, a potential problem that’s been exacerbated by the rise of AI.

“At Whoop, we recognize the importance of offering our members robust, clinically validated support,” Ahmed says. “We leverage cutting-edge performance science data to deliver highly personalized, easily understandable responses tailored to each member’s unique health and fitness journey. By prioritizing accuracy, reliability, and individualized guidance, we aim to address the industry’s need for trustworthy and effective solutions amidst the abundance of health and wellness data available today.”

A Bright Future for Wearables

Looking ahead, the leaders of Oura and Whoop are excited about where the industry is headed as more consumers look to take charge of their health and wellness.

Hale identified an “increased focus on longevity-focused health management” and the “surging demand for personalized wellness solutions” as key industry trends that bode well for Oura and the entire wearables market.

Ahmed pointed to Whoop’s recent introductions of its Whoop Coach AI tool, Stress Monitor and Strength Trainer as examples of the company’s commitment to innovation and commitment to making the “best and most personalized performance tool on the market.”

“Over the years, many have DM’d me on social media to share personal stories about how Whoop has changed their lives, which gives me tremendous hope for the consistent innovations that Whoop is able to provide members to better their health,” he shares. 

Overall, Ahmed is bullish on the future of wearables as technology and research continue to evolve. 

“Access to new technology and research has only increased and grown more efficiently through advancements like AI – the sky’s the limit for where the fitness industry can go,” he adds.

Hale is encouraged by consumers’ increased focus on using wearables to uncover personal insights rather than compare themselves to benchmarks. 

“We’re seeing more emphasis on recovery, rest, and individuality, rather than pushing to meet goals or numbers that exist for the ‘average,’” he says. “That is a good thing!”

The post Whoop, Oura CEOs Eye Women’s Health, Data Optimization  appeared first on Athletech News.

Fitbit, a wearable tech company that burst onto the scene in 2009 with a clip-on accelerometer gadget to track movement and calories, has now presented the ultimate solution for parents and caregivers: a connected smartwatch for kids ages 7-plus that promotes physical activity while keeping them connected to their families.

Set to compete with Garmin’s Bounce and vivofit Jr. 3, Fitbit’s latest product —Fitbit Ace LTE, $229.95 — motivates young users to move by unlocking additional time to play its immersive and interactive 3D games, which are updated monthly to keep things interesting. The more physical activity a child does, the more time they receive.

Kid-Friendly Features

The wearable fitness pioneer says all movement is recognized by a Google Research team’s new movement algorithm geared for kids — from hide-and-seek to a “sibling dance-off,” and kids are celebrated for hitting their daily movement goals.

In a feature that is sure to be a hit with kids, Fitbit Ace LTE rewards young users for reaching movement goals with the opportunity to outfit and accessorize ‘Eejies’ (customizable creature characters) or decorate their home in Bit Valley. 

In a couple of months, Fitbit says it will add a Tap to Pay option for young users. 

Fitbit says it worked with a team of experts in child psychology, public health, privacy and digital well-being to design Fitbit Ace LTE. Aware that technology can pose certain concerns for parents and guardians, Fitbit says that it was mindful to ensure that only parents are privy to a child’s location or activity data, and location data is deleted after 24 hours. The Fitbit Ace LTE also doesn’t have any ads or third-party apps, and only contacts added by a parent can be called or messaged. 

Rounding out Ace LTE fitness wearables are six bands (sold separately) with built-in technology that each offer unique features like new characters, items or lands to explore.

Fitbit Ace LTE will be available at the Google Store and Amazon beginning June 5. The fitness wearable is available for pre-order now. 

In 2024, Wearables Are Everywhere

When considering the greater landscape, introducing tech-savvy Gen Alpha to fitness-focused wearable tech seems like a natural progression. It could also help promote health and well-being while addressing alarming statistics from the World Obesity Federation, which projects nearly 25% of U.S. children will be considered obese by 2030.

Wearable technology has advanced health and wellness efforts in several ways — and the enthusiasm is there. Garmin, a leading player in the space, reported a significant revenue increase in its fitness segment. Whoop, maker of a low-profile brand that monitors sleep, stress, strain and more, just signed soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo as an ambassador and investor as it prepares to enter the Middle East market.

Thanks to brands like Oura, health-focused smart rings have become a fixture, with Samsung set to join in with its long-awaited Galaxy Ring. Predicted to hit the market this summer, the Galaxy Ring is believed to feature an ECG sensor, monitor sleep quality and other health metrics, and possibly include a cognitive test.

Even the NBA is using wearable technology to study player health while continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) are set to become the next big thing in wearables.

The post FitBit Launches Gamified Fitness Watch for Kids appeared first on Athletech News.

Natural Cycles, a women’s health company behind the first DTC birth control app, has just closed a €50.8 million ($55 million) Series C funding round intended for new product development, commercial acceleration and healthcare reimbursement automation. 

The funding signals a growing market for women-centered health tech products. Oura, known for its smart rings, is the first wearable product to integrate with Natural Cycles.

Lauxera Capital Partners led the financing round, which included participation from Point72 Private Investments and a revolving debt facility from J.P. Morgan.

“We’ve experienced profitable growth over the last few years as women actively seek more birth control options, and we’re excited to welcome the next phase of Natural Cycles journey together with Lauxera Capital Partners and Point72 Private Investments,” said Natural Cycles co-founder Dr. Raoul Scherwitzl. “We look forward to leveraging their expertise to fulfill Natural Cycles’ mission of making hormone-free birth control more accessible and combining technology and science to fill the gaps in underserved areas of women’s health.”

At its core, Natural Cycles allows users to predict their fertile days, allowing them to plan for pregnancy or contraception. While other apps assume a cycle is 28 days long, Natural Cycles uses an algorithm and temperature data collected by its NC° Thermometer or by pairing an Oura Ring or compatible Apple Watch with its app.

The company says its app is supported by clinical evidence and is 93% effective with typical use and 98% effective with perfect use (defined as never having unprotected intercourse on certain days.)

Scherwitzl co-founded Natural Cycles along with his wife, Dr. Elina Berglund Scherwitzl, who serves as the brand’s CEO, in 2013. Since then, the contraceptive app has been used by over three million users and is the only digital form of birth control on the market cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and regulators in Canada, Europe, Australia, Singapore and South Korea.

FemTech Revolution

The bustling FemTech market is making strides in several categories, including mental health, fertility, post-partum, menopause and sexual wellbeing. 

According to a Q1 2024 report from Deloitte, FemTech deal flow has surged considerably, presenting a health and wellness overlap. Notably, approximately one in four FemTech expansion-stage deals in 2023 were in the wellness category. 

Even Dr. Jennifer Ashton, known for her role as ABC’s chief medical correspondent and “GMA3” co-host, has started a new female-focused venture — Ajenda, a science-backed weekly newsletter for women. Ashton said last month that brick-and-mortar centers are part of her vision and are in the works for New York City and Los Angeles.

Lifesum, a health eating and wellness platform, recently put a spotlight on women’s hormonal health and its impact on the workplace in its latest U.S. Wellbeing Workplace Trends report, offering suggestions on how employers can support female employees.  

The post Birth Control App Natural Cycles Lands $55M as Tech Brands Eye Women’s Health  appeared first on Athletech News.

To kick off Women’s Health Month, smart ring maker Oura has launched “Be the Expert in You,” a month-long campaign dedicated to women’s body literacy as it rolls out a number of features dedicated to female health.

The new multi-channel campaign will include launching additional features and studies to promote body literacy for women. 

Oura recently launched features including its Pregnancy Insights tool, which tracks gestational age and provides weekly updates about other physiological changes. The Oura Ring is also the first wearable to integrate with the FDA-cleared birth control app Natural Cycles. 

“Female health conditions receive only one percent of global healthcare research funding, which has created a significant knowledge gap that hinders women from fully understanding basic information about their bodies,” said Dr. Neta Gotlieb, product manager for women’s health at Oura. “For example, a recent survey found that one in four women do not understand their menstrual cycle.”

“Oura is uniquely positioned to be a critical partner for women to close this information gap and become experts in themselves through comprehensive data, personalized insights, and ongoing research on a variety of women’s health topics,” Gotlieb added.

Another update to Oura’s offerings is Cycle Insights, which will provide users with even more information about the details of their menstrual cycles. This will include data on cycle regularity, cycle length and period length to understand patterns and potential irregularities. Oura will also update its Readiness Score to take into consideration natural fluctuations in womens’ cycles, including body temperature, heart rate and heart rate variability. 

“Female physiology differs dramatically from male physiology, which makes it necessary to create algorithms that address the needs of both,” said Holly Shelton, chief product officer at Oura. “We are committed to continuing to improve the Oura experience for our female members by delivering data and insights that accurately and comprehensively explain what’s happening in their bodies every day.”  

Oura will also unveil new research findings about women’s health on May 16^th, at the Women of Wearables Menopause 2.0 Conference.

Oura has partnered with Clue to illustrate the impacts of perimenopause and menopause on women’s health. A recent analysis of Oura member tagging data found that women in the perimenopausal age range, 45-54, are 56% more likely to tag migraines, hot flashes and night sweats. An additional collaboration between Oura and researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, is coming soon. 

Tom Hale, Oura’s CEO, has told Athletech News that the smart ring maker plans to continue investing in women’s health with new features and partnerships. Along with the Natural Cycles integration, Oura has forged key collaborations with companies including Flo and Gl to enhance the accessibility of health information for women.

“These recent achievements represent Oura’s commitment to women’s health, but they are just the beginning,” Hale said. “As we continue to innovate and expand our offerings, we remain dedicated to providing women with the ultimate body literacy tool to support their health and well-being at every stage of life.

Read more about Oura’s plans around women’s health in ATN’s State of Fitness and Wellness 2024 report.

The post Oura Commits to Women’s Health appeared first on Athletech News.