If you look at the sales figures for many of the large technology segments, the story is pretty grim. Perennial pillars of the market are showing no growth or even decline, such as televisions and notebook computers. If there’s one sign of hope, it’s in the Health Tech industry.
According to analysts at Rock Health, a venture fund dedicated to digital health products and services, the first quarter of 2016 witnessed a 50% increase in new investments compared with the first quarter of 2015. This is made all the more remarkable in that 2015 was a record year in itself, reaching $4.5 billion in new investments. The first quarter of 2016 saw nearly $1 billion in new funding. The two areas with the most new funding in the quarter were Wearables and Biosensing, and Analytics/Big Data, each of which garnered more than $200 million in new investments.
We’ve been banging the drum here at Health Tech Insider that while the fitness products got most of the initial attention, it is the health and medical products and services that are going to save consumers and corporations real money, and have a positive impact on the financial bottom line. This news from Rock Health makes it clear that investors are looking beyond just counting steps as a strategy for growth in the Health Tech industry.
