Catching-up to Intel and Qualcomm: Understanding the $5 Billion of Venture Capital Investment in Wearable Electronics

May 18, 2016 | State of the Market Report

Between 2006 and 2016 Q1, venture capitalists have invested $5.2 billion in wearable electronics startups. With $1.2 billion already invested in Q1, 2016 is on track to break the previous record of $1.4 billion set in 2014. To understand the trends in wearable electronics venture capital investment, we tracked the investments by application, form factor, year since start-up’s founding, and corporate venture capital (CVC) activity. While consumer health and wellness applications and wristband/armband form factors had received the most funding overall before 2014, attention is shifting to new areas since then – namely consumer communication applications and smart glasses form factors. Intel is the leading wearables CVC, having invested in nine wearables companies, covering a diverse range of six form factors and four different applications.

Coverage Areas

  • Digital Transformation
  • Emerging Ecosystems in Agrifood and Health

Table of Contents

  • Title page
  • Executive Summary
  • Table of Content
  • Landscape
  • Methodology
  • Landscape: VC investment by application
  • Landscape: VC investment by form factor
  • Landscape: Intel, Qualcomm, Google, and Flextronics are the most active CVCs
  • Analysis: Corporate venture capital activities in wearables
  • Takeaways
  • Appendix A: Transactions above $20 million between 2006 and March 2016
  • Appendix B: Wearables companies backed by CVCs

Lead Analyst

Tony Sun
Analyst

Contributors

Jonathan Melnick, Ph.D.
Related companies Intel, Qualcomm, Google, Flex Ltd, ZPower, MC10, Withings, Sensimed, Fitbit, Sotera Wireless, Codoon, Misfit, Jawbone, Proteus Digital Health, Oculus, GoPro, AntVR, Avegant, Preventice Solutions

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