As countless Americans make their fitness-focused declarations this month, one of Chicago’s leading health and wellness tech companies has just released a major announcement of its own.
This morning, higi, the maker of interactive health stations, revealed that it has raised $40 million in funding to expand its network of kiosks, as well as build out its omni-channel community engagement platform.
Higi currently has stations in nearly 10,000 retail locations and averages over one million tests per week, serving 30 million people. According to the company, one in ten Americans have used a higi station to monitor their health and approximately 75% of the U.S. population now lives within 5 miles of a kiosk.
“higi was founded on a simple but elusive idea: when individuals are empowered with their vital health stats (i.e., blood pressure, BMI, weight, pulse and body composition) and motivated through challenges and incentives, they make better decisions that lead to improved health outcomes,” said CEO Jeff Bennett in a statement. “We are very fortunate to have investors and a board of directors who share higi’s belief that small but meaningful steps can create lasting health habits.”
In August, 2014, the startup merged with StayHealthy, a producer of affordable, medical-grade health monitoring devices, and formed the largest connected retail health kiosk network in the country. Since then, higi has added a mobile app and web portal, allowing users to easily collect, monitor, and share their health information. The secure platform also enables healthcare stakeholders to more efficiently engage with consumers and patients.
“higi is a unique company because it understands and delivers on the promise that consumers who are empowered with their real-time biometric data often make better health decisions,” added William Wrigley, Jr., Chairman of higi.
Founded in 2012, higi is the “brainchild” of serial entrepreneur Michael Ferro, the owner of the Chicago Sun-Times and CEO of Merrick Ventures, and features rapper Lupe Fiasco as an early investor. This latest funding came entirely from “existing investors.”
To locate a station near you and give this a kiosk a spin, check out: https://higi.com/locator.
(Image via Higi)
