GreatCall, the mobile technology developer best known for its Jitterbug phones for seniors, has acquired Lively, a startup maker of a home health monitoring platform for the same demographic. Terms were not disclosed.
Lively, of San Francisco, combines a series of wireless sensors for the home, a data-collection hub and a smartwatch-type device that incorporates a personal emergency response system. The “safety watch,” as the company calls it, includes medication reminders and a step counter, much like a wearable activity tracker. A forthcoming version will include automatic fall detection, according to Lively’s website.
An online dashboard that accompanies the monitoring system serves as kind of a social network for seniors, their family members and their caregivers.
The company was founded in 2012, and launched its platform in 2013 with a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign. “We want something that’s beautiful that doesn’t stigmatize you as old and frail,” CEO Iggy Fanlo said two years ago.
This deal will help San Diego-based GreatCall expand its offerings in connected health and home monitoring. “As GreatCall looks at consolidating the fragmented active aging space, we see this acquisition as a strategic move for our connected health platform,” CFO Brian Berning said in a company statement.
