Many companies have sought ways to help disabled people walk. One Seattle company, Cadence Biomedical, is developing a new type of device--the Kickstart kinetic orthosis--which gives stability and movement assistance to weakened muscles without the use of powered mechanisms. Today, the promising young company announced the closing of an oversubscribed $1.1 million Series A2 financing led by HealthTech Capital.
The round also included Sand Hill Angels, Tech Coast Angels, ACE Fund, Frontier Angel Fund, WINGS, Alliance of Angels and Keiretsu Forum Northwest. The funds will be used to ease Kickstart's entry to the market.
So what's unique about Kickstart? Well, it uses no motors or batteries, but rather a system of pulleys and springs that captures energy at the start of a step and returns it to propel the user forward and prepare for the next step.
In a profile of the company from earlier this year, Xconomy's Luke Timmerman wrote of the seemingly daunting experience Cadence founder Brian Glaister faced when pitching the product to Don Ross, co-founder of HealthTech, for potential funding. If Ross' wife, a stroke survivor who needed assistance walking, liked Cadence's tech, he'd give Glaister a shot. Happily for all involved, she liked it (and HealthTech led that first part of the funding).
Ross remains impressed with Cadence. "Cadence Biomedical will change people's lives," he explained in a statement. "Kickstart is a major technological advance that can benefit millions, and we are pleased to provide financial and advisory support."
Not bad for a scrappy company that began in the basement.
- get more from the Cadence statement