Helsinki, Finland-based Beddit announced that with their most recent round of funding, the company has reached $8 million in funding to date. The round was led by Inventure. Beddit will use the investment to help fund its US and European product distribution in time for the holiday shopping season.
Beddit's sensor uses ballistocardiography to detect individual heartbeats from cardiac contraction forces and breathing rhythm from chest wall movements. The strap measures time in bed, awakenings and bed exits, sleep time, sleep latency (the time it takes to fall asleep), testing heart rate, sleep quality and breathing movements, including snoring.
From there the sensor uses Bluetooth to connect with the companion app, which offers personalized coaching, a wellness diary, a history of sleep recordings and a social sharing option. Every morning, the app will provide the user with a sleep analysis with tips on how to improve their sleep.
The company began accepting preorders for its consumer device in August 2013 through a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo and raised $500,000. Its goal was $80,000. In December 2013, the company announced that they were on track to fulfill its preoders and opened the door for additional pre-orders via Amazon, its own online store, and a number of resellers. Beddit had previously focused on devices for the clinical market, prior to the crowdfunding campaign.
Earlier this summer, Beddit entred into a partnership with Misfit Wearables, the company behind the Misfit Shine activity tracker. Customers will be able to purchase a co-branded Beddit device from Misfit’s website, and the tracker will be integrated into the Misfit Shine app.