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| Left to right: Cor reader, app and cartridge--Courtesy of Cor |
Former Apple Watch developer Bob Messerschmidt is now at the helm of Silicon Valley blood testing startup Cor. It aims to avoid the regulatory issues tripping up fellow drop-of-blood testing company Theranos by positioning itself as a "lifestyle guidance" company. It's already exceeded its goal of raising $50,000 on Indiegogo, with nearly $80,000 raised after 5 days.
For $199, crowdfunders receive a 33% discount on its $299 home blood testing device, which the company hopes consumers will use to monitor their health on a regular basis via its app.
"We transform this data through proprietary algorithms into 'insights.' These insights are customized 'action plans; for you based on your indicators. They include diet, supplements, exercise, and relaxation insights and recommendations. When something you try works for you, you will see an improvement in your indicators. That's self-efficacy, and that's just the beginning. You can take these insights and make them into habits. That's adherence," the company says on its Indiegogo page.
As Messerschmidt put it in a TechCrunch article, "If you're just reporting numbers, once (someone's) numbers are not improving, the device just goes into the sock drawer."
Cor aims to build a community of health-focused individuals. Users will be asked to "share their secret" (such as a food choice) to improving various indicators, like vitamin B3 level.
Messerschmidt told TechCrunch that the blood is drawn through the arm via a "very fine needle" that doesn't really hurt at all.
It appears the Indiegogo campaign is as much a marketing push as a fundraising effort, for the company has already earned $1 million in seed funding, and says it will soon publish the results of a clinical trial. Partners include Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute, Clinimark, Duke Clinical Research Institute, Founders Den, Health eHeart, Johnson & Johnson Innovation, QB3 and Stanford Medicine UCSF.
MobiHealthNews says Cor is most comparable to Cambridge, MA's Segterra, which also sells blood test aimed at promoting wellness. It raised $2.5 million in 2014.
Cor says it plans to ship its patented vibrational spectroscopic technology blood testing device to early adopters by the end of the year.
- here's TechCrunch's take
- here's MobiHealth News' take