Last week, Korean startup Namu launched a campaign on Japan’s largest crowdfunding website for its wearable posture coach called Alex.
The device is worn around the back of the head and neck, and alerts users to when their posture is bad. The latest campaign on Makuake reached 60% of its 1 million yen (USD $8800) target in just one day, and six days later – is sitting at 98%.
Last year, Alex also saw great success on both Kickstarter and Indiegogo, raising $70,000 and $89,000 respectively. It was even able to push out delivery of its products to 53 countries faster than expected to the delight of backers. Alex is now being sold in 11 countries, including the US, UK, Germany and Korea, and has posted total sales of 300 million won (USD $257,000) to date.
“As smartphone and computer use increases, 60% of young people from teens to those in their thirties have bad posture. Within this age range, it was found that 83% of high school students have bad posture. With the increasing number of neck problems all over the world, the future of posture coaching smart products is bright,” said Namu CEO and founder Jonathan Kim.
The company claims that Alex is more reliable than other similar devices which use wrist position or clothing to assess posture. Once bad posture is detected, Alex gently vibrates, reminding you to sit up straight or adjust your neck position. Vibration intensity and length can be customized, and an app helps you track the angle of your neck and monitor your progress.
Namu hopes to use the new campaign as a launching board into the Japanese market. Makuake was originally launched in 2013 by CyberAgent Crowdfunding and has grown to become the largest crowdfunding site in Japan. Major companies are also using the platform to market products and boost capital.
“While last year we focused on the Korea and US markets, this year we plan to expand into China and the rest of Asia, starting with Japan,” said Kim.
