Scanadu-a Silicon Valley-based startup seeking to commercialize a real-life version of a Star Trek tricorder- has recently raised $10.5 million in a Series A venture capital round, the company said Tuesday.
The company is among the nearly 40 firms vying to win the $10-million Qualcomm Tricorder X Prize.
Scanadu is seeking FDA approval for its first device, the Scanadu Scout. The hockey puck-sized device is a vital sign monitor that analyzes, tracks and trends vitals: temperature, respiratory rate, oximetry, ECG, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure. And it could do it all in 10 seconds.
The technology has already attracted the public's imagination, with Scanadu in July closing on a record $1.6 million fundraising campaign on Indiegogo.
Now venture capitalists are calling. The $10.5 million round was led by Relay Ventures, with participation from Tony Hsieh's VegasTechFund, Jerry Yang's Ame Cloud Ventures, and others.
Scanadu has raised a total $14.7 million in funding.
The first clinical trials of the Scout are slated to take place at the La Jolla, CA–based Scripps Translational Science Institute. The studies will be conducted as part of the Wired for Health mobile trial, which includes patients who live with diabetes, hypertension and heart arrhythmia.
"The era of digital healthcare has arrived," says Eric Topol, director of the STSI and chief academic officer for Scripps Health, referring to the surge in interest in the device and other similar digital-enabled products.