Athos, a performance apparel start-up, announced Wednesday that it had successfully raised $35.5 million in Series C funding, just six months after releasing its first product.
Social Capital was named as a new investor, as was MAS Holdings, Lightspeed Venture Partners and Felix Capital. Existing investors DMC, True Ventures and Joe Lacob (managing partner and chairman of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors) also contributed to the start-up.
Founded in 2012 by Dhananja Jayalath, Chamath Palihapitiya and Christopher Wiebe, Athos develops “smart” (or sensor-laden) training apparel.
Jayalath said the idea for Athos evolved from his and Wiebe’s shared interest in fitness.
“We both cared a ton about our health and fitness and spent hours each week in the gym,” he said. “But we didn’t know how to train. So we set out to build something that could help us reach our personal fitness goals, something that would help us do the right exercises, with the right form, at the right intensity.”
Athos uses electromyography, or EMG, embedded in the material to measure the wearers’ muscle efforts, heart rate and acceleration. The information is then sent to their mobile device so they can analyze their workouts and make any necessary changes.
This kind of technology has become increasingly popular among athletes and fitness enthusiasts in recent months, so it is not too surprising that Athos was able to rack up so much funding in such a short amount of time.
Palihapitiya said, “We are seeing great demand from people looking for technology that will help improve their fitness. Athos is on the forefront of this trend, delivering simple yet powerful insights that help people get more out of their workouts. It’s exciting to see strong momentum and an ambitious roadmap that will continue to transform the fitness industry.”
Big-name performance institutes, like ProActive and Fast Twitch, already use Athos’ technology to train such athletes as Clay Matthews. Now, the company is focusing on bringing its apparel to the general public.
Lacob said, “Whether you’re an athlete, or just starting out, Athos gives you the tools to improve your fitness level and work towards your goals- regardless of what that may be.”