Epicore Biosystems, a wearable-technology company spun out of Northwestern University, has raised $10 million in venture funding.
Epicore is commercializing technology developed by a team led by John Rogers, one of Northwestern’s most prolific inventors. The technology captures sweat, which can be analyzed to monitor the health of athletes or workers by measuring how much fluid and electrolytes they’re using.
Last year, Gatorade launched a Gx Sweat Patch paired with a smartphone app.
The company also been conducting a pilot project on an industrial version with energy-production giant Chevron that would help companies monitor hydration and nutrition needs of workers in extreme heat and other harsh conditions. The company also has developed an FDA-approved device for clinical researchers, who find sweat collection a less-invasive way to evaluate research participants.
Epicore, which was formed in 2017, is based in Cambridge, Mass., which also was home to other startups based on Rogers’ innovations in wearable technology. Investors include Chevron Technology Ventures, Alumni Ventures and Joyance Partners. Strategic backers and customers include Gatorade’s parent company, PepsiCo, the Air Force and Army and the National Institutes of Health.
Roozbeh Gaffari, a longtime collaborator with Rogers and a fellow researcher at Northwestern’s Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics, is CEO. The company has about a dozen employees.
Another Northwestern spinout based on Rogers’ technology is Rhaeos, which has raised $5 million in grants to develop a wearable sensor to monitor shunts that are implanted to drain excess fluid from the brain.
This story first appeared in our sister publication, Crain's Chicago Business.
