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【Jumpstarter 1 minute】Racefit – Toss your wrist wearable, the next generation of smart garments is here
by Jumpstarter
Business
October 25, 2017
RaceFit is on the cutting-edge of developing clothing for athletes and aspiring athletes alike. The RaceFit smart garment can be used in both professional sports training and everyday leisure activities. The garment is flexible, washable and comes with sensors to track your biometric data and movement as you exercise.
“We are a technology company that provides technology to brands that allows them to build their garments to detect human movements. By monitoring movement, we are able to see if an exercise is performed correctly and prevent injury,” said RaceFit Co-founder Dennis Poon.
RaceFit was founded three years ago by two Harvard graduates who were involved in clothing manufacturing and sports technology. Poon joined later as the company’s Chief Experience Officer, ensuring the user experience of the product and the garment’s app ecosystem worked well.
“When RaceFit was first founded, the two co-founders believed that the traditional garment industry was nearing the end. There was no new innovation coming from the field, hence they decided to merge clothing with technology,” Poon said.
While RaceFit faces stiff competition in the field of smart apparel, Poon believes they have a superior product.
“The competition is mostly focused on biometrics such as heartbeat monitoring, while our garment detects motion. Our smart sportswear is the only one can be put into the washing machine and charged wirelessly,” said Poon.
The user-friendly nature of RaceFit’s smart apparel caught the eye of a major sportswear brand. Poon said the company has signed a contract to manufacture 12 products for brand that will be released early next year.
In the long run, RaceFit hopes to work with other brands and industries to bring the benefits of the technology to a wider audience.
“Right now we work with sportswear brands, but in the future we may develop in other directions. We are exploring ways to work with other companies in industries such as medicine and insurance,” said Poon.
The biggest obstacle facing a company like RaceFit is funding, Poon said. With the amount of research and development needed to conduct testing and produce prototypes, securing sufficient funding is always a challenge for a startup like RaceFit.
“Not every startup finds success. It all boils down to funding. We believe in our product’s commercial viability, but in order to get the best product to market, we need to conduct R&D and make quality improvements. Together with brands, we believe we have a good shot at success,” Poon said.
“The competition is mostly focused on biometrics such as heartbeat monitoring, while our garment detects motion. Our smart sportswear is the only one can be put into the washing machine and charged wirelessly,” said Poon.
