Boston startup OrbitHCI has raised a $1 million seed round to develop new smart devices that could help older family members to stay better connected with their children and grandchildren. The round was led by Atlas Venture with Google Ventures participating.
The funding was first reported by the Wall Street Journal, and was confirmed by Atlas on Monday morning. The Journal reported that the new devices include a smartwatch and a tablet "that functions like a smart picture frame":
The elderly family member wears the watch, which shows only the time and whether a new message has arrived from a loved one. When the wearer approaches the tablet, a proximity sensor in the watch wakes up the tablet and the elderly user can see new messages, scroll through old ones and know if someone is available right then for a live chat. They can connect by touching a picture of the person’s face.
The system is expected to sell for $250 and be available by the next holiday season.
OrbitHCI is based at WeWork South Station, and its co-founder and CEO is Keith Kocho, who previously founded ExtendMedia and sold it to Cisco.
Jeff Fagnan, partner at FKA (the firm formerly known as Atlas Venture), headed up the seed deal along with Rich Miner of Google Ventures.
Image courtesy of FKA.
