Valencell, a Raleigh, NC-based developer of wearable biometric sensor technology, has raised $10.5M in Series E financing led by Sonion with participation from existing investors TDF Ventures, GII LLC, and WSJ Joshua Fund. The startup plans to utilize the funding to expand its biometric sensor technology and team. The latest round brings the total amount of funding raised to date to $35 million.
Many people think you can create accurate biometric wearable devices by piecing together some LED’s, some firmware, some algorithms, and calling it a heart rate sensor. Founded in 2006, Valencell develops performance biometric sensor technology for consumer electronics manufacturers, wearable and hearable device makers, sports and fitness brands, medical device makers, and gaming companies for integration into their products. With dozens of granted patents and 60+ patents pending around the world, Valencell’s technology continuously and accurately measures real-time biometric and physiological data that powers meaningful customer engagement.
Lead by Ph.D. exercise physiologist Dr. Chris Eschbach, The Valencell Biometrics Lab has tested over 400 different devices annually from leading wearable companies to validate the data to determine real-world accuracy and identify improvements to product design and performance.
Valencell’s PerformTek biometric sensor technology employs active signal characterization, the process of segmenting raw signal data from biometric sensors into biological, motion, and environmental signals and noise.PerformTek heart rate sensor technology measures weak blood flow signals by shining light at the skin with an optical emitter and sensing the scattered light with a photodetector. Valencell’s technology has now been integrated into more than 30 different wearables and hearables that have come to market around the world. The company recently inked a strategic partnership with Sonion to make biometrics universal for the hearables and hearing health market.
“Valencell has an established track record of innovating in wearable biometric sensors and this funding enables us to accelerate our investments in R&D, market development and go-to-market resources,” said Michael Dering, CEO, Valencell. “In addition, with Sonion leading the investment round, Valencell gains a powerful strategic partner to bring new capabilities to serve the consumer hearables and hearing health markets. Valencell and Sonion share a strong vision and operating model for making major advancements in hearing health and hearable devices.”
