Intent Solutions, an Atlanta-based company working on a connected medication dispenser called TAD, has raised $1.5 million in seed funding. The company did not disclose the investors. 

"We have been quietly raising capital for several months while refining our technology and service offerings," Sam Zamarripa, president of Intent Solutions, said in a statement.  "In that time, we've developed strategic relationships with prospective customers, both in the US and Europe, that will give us early adopters for our platform in the first quarter of 2017."

Intent's flagship product TAD stands for "Take As Directed". It's a connected medication dispenser that is designed both to help people track their medication adherence and also to help prevent medication abuse, because it can be programmed to only open at preset dosage times. In fact, the creation of the company was inspired by one of the founders' struggle with prescription painkiller addiction.

"Pill bottles have a child-proof lid, but what about adults?" cofounder and Director of Business Development Martin McLean writes on the company's website. "What about people who think two pills are better than one? We live in a world where we think more is better. That’s not always the case, and with regards to medicine, that’s the first step towards addiction. The idea for TAD was really simple - could we invent a technology that would help people take their medicine as directed to prevent misuse, abuse, and addiction?"

The bottle can connect to an app so users can be reminded by text message to take their medication. It also records adherence data and can send it to a care provider, a clinical trial site, or the patient. The company is looking into using the device in clinical trials, as well as with patients who need to monitor their medication closely to avoid abuse.