For a branded company, higi is relatively low profile. But that’s beginning to change. In an interview with higi CEO Jeff Bennett in the lobby of the Westin St Francis this week, he offered some historical perspective on the company and how it is thinking about engagement.
One thing that’s particularly interesting is how it has scaled its business to date. It has established health kiosks at retailers such as Giant, Rite Aid, and regional stores such as Publix and Heb check their health stats from weight and body fat to blood pressure and pulse and track it over time free of charge. Users can also monitor their data through an app for iOS and Android networks.
The idea is for them to invite members of their social network to participate in challenges to reach fitness goals. The companion website also offers content to support healthy living.
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The health IT company said this week that it had raised $40 million from existing investors to move from building products to support retail customers to developing retail partner support tools.
Bennett, a former managing director with venture capital firm Merrick Ventures, said some of the tools it is developing will be aimed at helping retail partners better engage with customers. It plans to start rolling those consumer engagement products out in the second quarter.
The company contends claims that the user base has grown to more than 30 million people. Its mobile app for iOS and and Android devices syncs with more than 50 partner health and fitness apps.
He noted that its partners don’t have the kind of IT budgets for this kind of undertaking. The goal will be to support healthy living. It will enable them to reach customers on a regular basis with focused content and challenges for certain activities, along with rewards.
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“This looks like employee wellness tools, but it’s not… This is around engagement.”
In a statement released earlier this week, higi Chairman William Wrigley Jr. said:
“higi is a unique company because it understands and delivers on the promise that consumers who are empowered with their real-time biometric data often make better health decisions.”
