Orlando startup Phlex is partnering with a global sports sensor company for a new swimming training product.
The company, a graduate of the LeAD Lake Nona Sports & Health Tech Accelerator, has launched a wearable device for swimmers and coaches with Finland-based Polar Electro.
The device allows all levels of swimmers, from casual to competitive, to track a number of performance statistics like heart rate, calories burned and more through Phlex's app.
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Phlex co-founder and CEO Marcin Cieślak told Orlando Inno the company targeted the partnership because it felt that mobile app development and artificial intelligence was its strength, so it wanted to work with Polar to have a sensor partner. The company was inspired by how hard it was to track swimming versus other physical activities, as many of its lead executives have been competitive swimmers, including Cieślak, a former Olympian for Poland.
"For a long time, there have been trackers available for running and cycling that work really well, but swimming, because it is a bit more difficult to track, has never seen good technology tools. If you are tracking biking or running, you are using a GPS sensor to measure speed and duration of activity. But for swimming, you have different strokes, pool lengths and techniques, and that makes it difficult to get proper measurements."
The app will be compatible with the Polar sensor or other trackers such as Strava or the Apple Watch. The company just finished its beta phase with 100 users over a five-month period, with the app being available globally once the launch begins.
"The system that Phlex has created is a prime example of how companies can seize Polar’s incredibly accurate sensor technology,” Polar Business Director Riikka Rae said in a prepared statement. “By using the Polar Software Development Kit, developers can read and interpret live data from Polar heart rate sensors and create innovative Powered by Polar solutions for almost any activity imaginable."
Users can pay either $8.99 a month or $90 for the annual plan.
Phlex has 16 people on staff, including some freelancers, but its core team is seven people. The founding team of four people works out of Orlando — including one that goes between Gainesville and Orlando — as well as some virtual staff.
The company was part of LeAD Lake Nona's first cohort of companies, Justin Driscoll, associate with leAD Sports & Health Tech Partners, told Orlando Inno.
"As one of the first startups to join the leAD Lake Nona Accelerator in 2021, we have always believed Phlex was positioned to transform how data is utilized in the swimming industry," Driscoll said. "Partnering with a global brand like Polar showcases the company's positive traction on an international scale as well as its momentum in revolutionizing the space. We are excited to see the partnership bring change to the way people participate in the sport of swimming."
After the product launch, the company plans to go through with a $2 million funding round to continue its investment in the technology to help it scale, Cieślak added. It would aim to close that round by the end of this year.
Meanwhile, the wearable technology global market — which includes devices like those from the Phlex partnership — is expected to grow from $71.91 billion in revenue in 2023 to $186.14 billion in 2030, according to Grand View Research.
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