San Francisco, CA; September 29, 2016 – Mehmet Oz, called America's Doctor by many, has joined with health tech startup iBeat to launch a breakthrough heart monitoring smartwatch that empowers people to live longer lives. The partnership with Dr. Oz will kick off with pre-orders for its iBeat Life Monitor – a watch that continuously monitors one's heart for life threatening emergencies and notifies loved ones and emergency responders in such an event. A world renowned leader in cardiothoracic surgery, a transplant surgeon, and holder of eight patents, Dr. Oz has saved thousands of lives both in the operating room and by educating his millions of viewers. After seeing the massive impact potential of the iBeat technology in their San Francisco headquarters, Oz invested, partnered with, and joined on as Special Advisor to the company.
"The iBeat Life Monitor was designed to continuously measure and monitor one's heart and potentially prevent fatal heart incidents," said Dr. Oz, seven-time Emmy Award winning host of the nationally syndicated "The Dr. Oz Show." "This medical-grade device not only provides users with a sense of safety and control over their own heart health – which is vital in the treatment and prevention of heart failure – but also allows their loved ones and family members to take a more observant role in their care as well. To make a positive impact on the health of others, I've learned that we need to make it easy to do the right thing. This device is not only a technological breakthrough that will be more effective than anything on the market, it fits into a person's wardrobe with style and ease, making it simple to integrate its lifesaving properties in one's everyday routine. As Special Advisor, I look forward to raising awareness around preventing life-threatening heart issues and highlighting a device that can truly save lives."
The iBeat Life Monitor differentiates itself from other wearables on the market by continuously monitoring and analyzing user's heart activity and instantly detecting the signs of oncoming cardiac arrest (a sudden cessation of heart function). If the device detects a life-threatening heart emergency, it will engage the user and ask if he or she is 'OK.' If the user selects 'No' or is unresponsive, iBeat will instantly alert the user's loved ones and emergency responders in real-time, helping ensure immediate care delivery and potentially saving the user's life.
The iBeat Life Monitor does not need a cell phone, mobile app, Bluetooth connectivity, or Wi-Fi to function. The device is fully cellular, while built-in GPS ensures the user's loved ones and first response teams know exactly where the user is in an emergency. In such an instance, emergency contacts will get a text with a link showing where the user is and where they are in-transit so they can meet them at the hospital or nearby care center. Users will also have access to an online dashboard where they can see their daily, weekly, and monthly overall heart health (beats per minutes, heart pattern changes, etc.) and compare it to others within their age range. The device is also equipped with an Emergency-On-Demand button which, when long-pressed for two seconds, will allow users to reach out to their emergency contacts, or if needed, 911.
While the watch is primarily targeted at baby-boomers, especially those who live alone, and individuals with existing heart conditions, the device is receiving notable interest from younger adults and millennials who have parents and grandparents that could greatly benefit from the device. iBeat has already raised $1.5 million in funding from private investors and is looking to establish the market for the iBeat Life Monitor through pre-orders, as well as support the tooling and production line needed to bring the device to the masses.
"The early interest we've seen in iBeat has been remarkable," said Ryan Howard, founder and CEO of iBeat. "We are excited to bring our device to the Indiegogo platform to drive even more awareness around the product and its ability to potentially save someone's life. If you suffer a life-threatening heart incident such as sudden cardiac arrest, you have a 90% chance of dying without intervention. There are many devices on the market including diabetic monitors, heart-rate monitors, and other health monitoring solutions, but all these devices only passively monitor you. None of them actively monitor and analyze your heart health around-the-clock like the iBeat Life Monitor. Continual monitoring and quick intervention can mean the difference between life and death in emergency situations."
With sudden cardiac arrest being a leading cause of death in the United States, killing nearly 326,000 people a year, iBeat aims to give users and their loved ones peace of mind when it comes to monitoring and maintaining everyday heart health. Studies have shown daily heart monitoring is not only proven to help prevent stroke, but can also potentially reduce hospitalizations while delivering critical information to researchers and caregivers.
Pricing and Availability
The iBeat Life Monitor launches on Indiegogo today at 8:30am ET. For a limited time, super early-bird backers may order the device for $99 – a 70% savings, which will include 12 months of free monitoring. Quantities are limited. To contribute to iBeat and/or pre-order an iBeat Life Monitor, please visit https://igg.me/at/ibeat.
Media is invited to interview Dr. Oz and iBeat Founder and CEO, Ryan Howard, on a press conference call today at 4:00pm ET. Reporters will be able to ask the founders direct questions about the technology and launch of iBeat as well as its public health impact. To join the press conference call with, please RSVP to Kristin@ibeat.com.
About iBeat
Located in the heart of San Francisco, iBeat is a technology company empowering people to live longer lives. The company's breakthrough smartwatch, iBeat Life Monitor, perpetually monitors and analyzes users' 24-7 heart activity. In the case of an oncoming life-threatening emergency, iBeat will instantly alert the user, their loved ones, and emergency responders in real-time, helping ensure immediate care delivery and potentially saving the user's life.
Media Contacts:
Kristin Tinsley
iBeat Marketing & Communications Director
Kristin (at) ibeat.com
661-904-2408