Wristcam announces $25 million funding, adds live video messaging
Wristcam, the maker of the Apple Watch camera accessory of the same name, has raised $25 million in new funding to scale production of its smart camera system. The company is also announcing an SDK to give select Apple Developers access to private APIs to power computer vision applications for Apple Watch, beginning later this year.
The new financing was led by Marker LLC, and includes participation from a global syndicate of family offices. Wristcam will use the new investment to expand production, operations, engineering, marketing, and distribution, the company said. To date, Wristcam is the only camera for Apple Watch, and the exclusive smart band to receive Apple’s “Made for Apple Watch” designation.
“Analysts estimate 125M Apple Watches have been sold since the 2015 product debut, and that more than 1 in 3 iPhone users in the U.S. already wear Apple Watch,” said Ari Roisman, CEO, Wristcam. “We see Apple Watch becoming the essential mobile device, and an emergent platform for more personal software experiences that free us from our phones. Computer vision is the only essential iPhone function that Apple Watch now lacks, and Wristcam fills the void. With today’s announcement of Wristcam SDK, we’re excited to offer the transformational power of computer vision to Apple Watch Developers.”
“We worked long and hard on the engineering, incorporating multi-layer wireless networking, and multi-device resource management to optimize performance and minimize power drain,” says Roi Ginat, Wristcam’s CTO. “We already have an exceptionally talented and experienced development team in Israel, and look forward to at least doubling our size in the coming year.”
Wristcam users can capture 4K photos and 1080p videos, and even live stream, all without an iPhone, straight from Apple Watch. Wristcam supports hands-free control through customizable voice commands such as, “Hey Siri, take a selfie.”
The company also launched of Live Messenger, the first and only Apple Watch experience to offer live video communication. The company is also announcing expanded product availability on Wristcam.com and Amazon. The functions of Live Messenger are shown below:
Wristcam’s internal storage lets you capture up to 2,000 photos or an hour of video. The smart camera is compatible with WiFi and Bluetooth, and is water-resistant, allowing for underwater photo and video capture.
Wristcam is available for purchase for $299 at Wristcam.com.
Wristcam, headquartered in San Mateo, California, was co-founded by Roisman, Ginat, Liron Hertz, Matt Frischer, and Shawn Grening.