Basis Raises $11.5 Million for Health-Tracking Wristwatch

March 06, 2013 -- BASIS Science Inc., a San Francisco-based startup developing a wrist-based health tracker and online platform, has raised $11.5 million in Series B funding. The round was led by Mayfield Fund, with investment from existing investors DCM and Norwest Venture Partners. Tim Chang, Managing Director at Mayfield, joins Basis’ board of directors. Basis also bolstered its advisory board with the addition of “healthy living” expert Deepak Chopra, and technology analyst and investor Esther Dyson.

BASIS Science, Inc. (www.mybasis.com) the company behind Basis, a wrist-based health tracker and online personal dashboard that helps people adopt healthy habits, today announced it has raised $11.5 million in Series B funding. The round was led by Mayfield Fund with investment from existing investors, DCM and Norwest Venture Partners. Tim Chang, Managing Director at Mayfield, and long-time supporter of Basis, joins Basis’ board of directors. Basis also announced that it has expanded its diverse board of preeminent advisors with the addition of the world renowned healthy living expert, Deepak Chopra, and innovator and technology analyst, Esther Dyson.

“Our new round of funding speaks to the growth opportunity in the burgeoning digital health category, and will enable Basis to scale to meet demand and to deliver even more from our sensor-rich device and habits platform,” said Jef Holove, CEO, Basis. “Having Tim on our board, and the addition of Deepak and Esther, expands the depth of expertise we can tap into across health, technology and entertainment, to ensure that daily health is truly habit-forming.”

Team Additions

Tim Chang was an initial investor in Basis during his time at Norwest Venture Partners, and has long been an advocate for the wearable health category. He has also made notable investments in ngmoco and Playdom, leaders in consumer mobile and gaming.

“Basis’ differentiated approach to health and wellness was what compelled the initial investment in the company, and it remains the case today,” said Tim Chang, Managing Director at Mayfield. “No other health tracking device has packed in as many sensors, including the ability to track heart rate from the wrist, as Basis has, or created a system like Basis’ healthy habits that keep wearers engaged over time.”

Joining Basis’ advisory board is Deepak Chopra, M.D., the author of more than 65 books including numerous New York Times bestsellers. He brings a deep and extensive wealth of knowledge on how to successfully attain and sustain a holistic approach to health. His medical training is in internal medicine and endocrinology and he is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians as well as adjunct professor of Executive Programs at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

“People can now get a more complete picture of their overall health, with visibility into their activity and sleep, as well as important physiological metrics like heart rate,” said Deepak Chopra. “This means Basis can offer a more engaging and insightful way for people to get and stay healthy.”

Esther Dyson is a well-known angel investor, entrepreneur and highly regarded commentator especially on health care and health technology. Esther was an early proponent of the Quantified Self movement, a growing community of individuals committed to improving their health through self-knowledge of their bodies and activities. Her investments include 23andMe, Crohnology, Genomera, HealthTap, Health Rally, Keas, Medivo, Omada Health, PatientsLike Me and Voxiva.

Chopra and Dyson will join Basis’ current advisors: Kevin Colleran (one of the first ten employees at Facebook), Kai and Charles Huang (creators of Guitar Hero), Patrick McGill (media and entertainment industry veteran), Daniel Kraft, MD, (Singularity) and Jeff Rosenthal along with his co-founders of entrepreneur organization Summit Series.

For more information on ordering the Basis band and free web service, please visit: www.mybasis.com.

BASIS is a trademark of Basis Science, Inc. in the United States and other countries.

About Basis:

At Basis our mission is to help fit health into our busy lives. We designed our wrist-based health tracker and online personal dashboard to help you easily incorporate healthy habits into your daily routine. Basis leverages four types of advanced sensors in its lightweight, customizable design to calculate steps taken, calories burned and sleep quality, as well as physiological metrics like heart rate. We help you set new health goals and automatically adjust weekly targets based on your progress. Using this flexible approach you’ll build healthy habits you can maintain for years. Basis Science, Inc. is backed by Mayfield Fund, Norwest Venture Partners and Doll Capital Management.

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