Wearables startup ATHOS closes $12.2m financing

Wearable startup ATHOS announced it has closed $12.2 million in Series B financing, led by venture capital firm DCM,, which brings its total to $16 million since it launched in 2012.

The funding round also included additional investments from True Ventures, managing partner and chairman of the Golden State Warriors Joe Lacob, NBA All-Star Jermaine O’Neal and existing investor, The Social+Capital Partnership.

As part of the deal, DCM general partner Pete Moran and Lacob have joined the board of directors at ATHOS.

ATHOS said it will use the investment to fund the further commercialization of its line of fitness apparel products, as well as scale manufacturing and marketing efforts.

“As we think about the future of the fitness and apparel industry, no one has successfully cracked the ability to measure total body behavior including muscle movement, and then translated that into actionable insight,” said Moran. “ATHOS is breaking new ground in this arena, and soon, this kind of intelligence will be the ‘new normal’ in a consumer’s mind.”

The fitness apparel line is designed to collect and analyze muscle activity and effort, along with heart and breathing rates, to provide users with an accurate, real-time assessment of their workout performance.

In addition to its premier investors, ATHOS has also signed deals with two Tier 1 manufacturers. These include a contract with a multi-billion dollar clothing manufacturer with a large clientele that includes some of the world’s biggest sportswear companies and one of the world’s leading hardware manufacturers.

ATHOS and its manufacturing partners have collectively devised an innovative method to produce high-quality sensors that are integrated into clothing.

Using small sensors that are embedded into compression clothing, the ATHOS apparel line is able to communicate directly with the user’s smartphone to provide him or her with real-time feedback on their workout process.

“We’ve spent the past few years perfecting this technology and making the gear seamless, comfortable and durable,” said Dhananja Jayalath, CEO and co-founder of ATHOS. “And now, with backing from two experienced investors, plus the support of Golden State Warriors’ owner Joe Lacob and top athletes such as Jermaine O’Neal, we are excited to continue our journey to transform the fitness industry worldwide.”

ATHOS products will be available this coming fall, while pre-orders can currently be reserved on the ATHOS website.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  investment  |  smartphone  |  wearables