Athos, a U.S. start-up specializing in smart fitness apparel, has raised $35.5 million in investments led by Social Capital. Other investors in the fundraising are MAS Holdings, an apparel manufacturer from Sri Lanka, Lightspeed Venture Partners and Felix Capital, along with existing shareholders DMC, True Ventures and Joe Lacob, the managing partner and chairman of the Golden State Warriors. Athos launched its first product in the U.S. six months ago. Athos says it will use the extra capital to continue innovating in wearable fitness technology, scaling its output and building up its team. It recently added Don Faul as chief operating officer, and Rose Yao as vice president in charge of product – both of them having spent several years at Facebook and Google. Athos' garments measure muscle performance using electromyography, as well as heart rate and acceleration. This data is streamed to the user's mobile device, along with simple, actionable insights to help them reach their individual goals. Athos started as an advanced engineering project at the University of Waterloo and was established in 2012 by co-founders Dhananja Jayalath, Christopher Wiebe and Chamath Palihapitiya.

Topics