Montreal’s Hexoskin raises $1.3 million to pursue FDA approval of smart clothing technology

Montreal makers of health monitoring smart clothing Hexoskin have raised a second round of funding, $1,320,000, from Anges Québec and the Anges Québec Capital fund, bringing its total fundraising to date to $3.2 million.

The new funding will allow Hexoskin to speed up the FDA medical certification of its biometric clothing technology and pursue international growth.

“This new investment is a vote of confidence in our business, our technology, and our strategy for expansion into the medical field,” says Hexoskin president and co-founder Pierre-Alexandre Fournier. “This round of financing strengthens our position as a leader in the global digital health industry for smart clothing and mobile applications.”

Shirts made by Hexoskin transmit cardiorespiratory activity to an app, either Apple or Android, up to 42,000 data points per minute.

“Hexoskin’s founders are true innovators,” says Anges Québec Capital vice president of investments Pierre Chadi. “They uncovered the resources to develop smart clothing in a landscape that sees very few made-in-Quebec consumer electronics. We’re happy to be stimulating the creative genius of entrepreneurs in this province.”

NASA, the Canadian Space Agency, various military organizations and athletes are already Hexoskin clients.

Hexoskin’s technology has been involved in a pilot project run by Cisco for the Dubai police force, which use sensors to monitor the fatigue, stress levels and heart rate of police officers wearing the shirt.