ORLANDO, Fla., Dec. 20, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The leAD Lake Nona Sports & Health Tech Accelerator did it again and presented outstanding sports & health tech startups at their Demo Day last Thursday. With Point, Suji, Kutai, Oxiwear, and Indifit, five stellar companies participated in and graduated from leAD's second cohort in the U.S. The leAD Lake Nona Sports & Health Tech Accelerator is a joint venture between leAD Sports & Health Tech Partners, the leading sports and health tech investment platform; and Tavistock, an international private investment organization, which built among others Lake Nona, an innovative living lab community in Orlando, Florida. The five companies were the top 1% accepted to the program out of 495 applications.
"The graduates of this cohort are truly inspiring! From solutions that aggregate your data and make you a better athlete to wearables that can truly save lives, I feel confident each company has the potential to innovate their industries," said Christoph Sonnen, leAD Co-Founder & CEO. "I am so proud that we can support them on this journey and look forward to seeing their successes to come."
The selected startups participated in a virtual phase of the program which started in August and moved on-site to Lake Nona, the home of sports and health tech innovation, in September. Demo Day marks their graduation from the accelerator and is a hybrid event featuring more than 100 attendees on-site and 200 online including potential investors, partners, and community members.
leAD proudly announces that all companies already have commitments 65% of their funding goal which is a strong and impressive number after an intense program of four months.
Meet the Companies
Kutai from Medellin, Colombia/U.S.
Kutai is an AI-powered guide that helps users identify and improve their eating habits. Leveraging hardware and software, Kutai impacts the health, well-being, and performance of its users through frictionless, holistic solutions that combine nutrition technology and motivation.
Kutai came out of the program having been validated and found a product-market fit in the South American market. They also secured a partnership with LNPC and launched a beta to better understand the use cases in the U.S. In addition, they signed an AI partnership with Stradigi AI and received three additional LOI's with Genexia, Bio4Tech, and LifeFactors.
OxiWear from Arlington, VA, U.S.
OxiWear is an ear-wearable, vital monitoring, and emergency alert accessory that enables continuous medical-grade oxygen monitoring to reduce hypoxic injuries, and with that not only save healthcare costs but ultimately lives.
During the program, OxiWear closed $1.25M in pre-seed funding (450k oversubscription), submitted an FDA Pre-Approval package, finalized a prototype for beta testing and had over 1,100+ pre-sales/sign-ups.
Point from Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Point connects and evaluates biometric health data from various devices, apps, and wellness experiences, to provide users with personalized and actionable recommendations on how to reach health and fitness goals.
Coming into the program, Point already received $1.2M in funding with a live app, string metrics, and KPIs, and the first consumer-facing SDK model. Since the program, Point has received three acquisition/mergers offers, landed key strategic partners, and is close to closing a $4M round.
Suji from Edinburgh, Scotland
Suji develops smart compression tools that help athletes relieve pain, improve performance, and recover faster using very low-intensity exercise. Collecting exercise data, Suji begins to identify and highlight muscular weaknesses before injury occurs.
Suji sold over 200 units since the beginning of the program into over 30 institutes of sports, including D1 teams. They already have 50% of their seed round committed and are in ongoing talks with current customer Orlando Health. They have a strong IP portfolio and completed a touch-and-feel prototype of next-generation hardware.
indiFIT from Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
indiFIT is a SaaS platform that equips fitness and wellness entrepreneurs with everything they need to run their own business - from booking and payment to admin task automation and marketing tools.
indiFIT came to the program with $500K in funding. During their time at Lake Nona, they continued to land amazing fitness instructors with social followings in excess of 750k+, connected with brands, including Barrys, Soul Cycle, and Lululemon, and grew their revenue per instructor from only $200 dollars to over $1,000.
The on-site leAD Lake Nona program is located within the new 16,000-square-foot Pixon MS2 innovation space in the heart of Lake Nona Town Center - the community's open-air regional entertainment district. Wired with gigabit infrastructure and access to a high-speed 5G network, the Pixon MS2 space provides a vibrant environment lined with art and complete with co-working spaces, conference rooms, and common areas to allow participating startups to conceive, test, and implement their ideas. For more information about the program or to apply for the next cohort, visit www.leadsports.com/academy/lake-nona.
About leAD
leAD Sports & Health Tech Partners sources, funds, and drives the growth of early-stage sports & health tech startups globally. leAD was founded in 2016 and was inspired by the legend of the sports industry Adi Dassler. Since its inception, leAD has taken on new companies into its business every year. leAD works with groundbreaking solutions across the verticals of fan engagement, connected athletes, and health & well-being and focuses on driving growth through smart investment, premier network access, and expert training.
For more information, visit www.leadsports.com.
About Lake Nona
Planned and developed by the Tavistock Group, Lake Nona is one of the fastest-growing and most innovative communities in America. Located in Orlando, Florida, the 17-square-mile community has established a new standard of living for its residents with groundbreaking initiatives around technology, mobility, and wellbeing. Lake Nona is located contiguous to Orlando International Airport in the most visited destination in the U.S. The smart and connected community's advanced infrastructure and commitment to collaboration has drawn visionary companies and entrepreneurs from across the globe to join its living lab environment, accelerating economic growth and opportunity across health and life sciences, education, hospitality, and sports and performance. Lake Nona's attractive business ecosystem is enhanced by a thriving cultural landscape defined by iconic architecture and engaging public art installations, miles of trails and walkable green spaces, weekly signature events, shopping, dining, and entertainment options set amongst Central Florida's beautiful natural landscape and year-round sunshine. For more information, visit www.lakenona.com.
Contact
Jennifer Buonantony
PPLA for Caden
Jennifer@presspassla.com
323-496-1976
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