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Siren generates $11.8 million for smart fabric tech

05 Jun '20

3 min read

Pic: PR Newswire

Siren, a medical device company with technology to embed microsensors in fabric, opening way for production of affordable, washable smart textiles and remote monitoring of patients, has generated $11.8 million in funding led by Anathem Ventures, and participation from existing investors DCM, Khosla Ventures, 500 Startups, and Peter Thiel's Founders Fund.

In connection with this Series B round of funding, DCM partner Jason Krikorian will join Siren's board and Anathem managing partner Crystal McKellar will join Siren as an advisor.

Since its founding in 2015, Siren has raised $22 million across three funding rounds to position itself for commercial expansion, including a previously undisclosed $6.5 million Series A in 2018 and a $3.4 million seed round. Siren was the TechCrunch CES 2017 Hardware Battlefield Winner, and was named 2018 CES Best of Innovation for its innovative smart textile technology.

Siren's first commercial product is an FDA-registered temperature monitoring sock that connects wirelessly to a software application, allowing podiatrists to detect early signs of inflammation in patients at risk of developing diabetic foot ulcers. The onset of diabetic foot ulcers represents a dangerous condition that, when left unchecked, can lead to serious complications, including amputation. Podiatrists largely rely on in-clinic visits to manually monitor the temperature elevations that are the precursor to a diabetic foot ulcer. However, ulcers form in a matter of hours or days and can worsen rapidly between such visits. Siren's solution enables real-time detection and early intervention, which can prevent the serious complications that result in over 100,000 lower limb amputations every year and cost the US healthcare system over $43 billion annually.

Siren's remote monitoring solution is particularly valuable during the COVID-19 pandemic, as it allows healthcare practitioners to stay engaged with and care for their patients remotely, limiting in-clinic visits to true emergencies while delivering additional services for physician practices through CMS' recent expansion of Medicare reimbursement for remote patient monitoring services.

"COVID-19 has changed healthcare now and forever. Digitisation and virtual care is no longer a nice-to-have, it's a need-to-have. Patients need remote patient monitoring to collect and send crucial health data to their physicians. Clinics, by transitioning some medical staff into virtual monitoring, can stay operational, prevent job loss, and allow patients continued access to care," commented Ran Ma, CEO of Siren. "Additionally, as a medical device company, we have changed the way that we do business - how we make sales, provide customer support, and how our products work. The companies who not only survive, but thrive, are the ones best able to evolve and help their customers adapt to this new world."

Series B lead and Anathem Ventures managing partner Crystal McKellar said, "Technology, at its best, should deliver higher functionality at a fraction of the cost. In the healthcare space, this means improving patient outcomes while reducing the financial burden to the system. Siren's breakthrough technology combines all of these important adoption drivers, and I am thrilled to partner with Siren to help further the company's growth."

DCM partner Jason Krikorian, a long-time Siren investor who co-led Siren's 2016 seed round, noted, "When we initially invested, what I saw was a resourceful team and a creative and elegant product that would represent an enormous improvement for patient care and cost-effective physician workflows in any environment. The current pandemic has made it clear that remote monitoring solutions will be a critical part of any physician's practice. I'm excited to work even closer with the team on this next phase of growth."

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (SV)