Vancouver-based Wiivv, a wearables company that creates custom 3D printed body gear, has closed $3.5 million in seed funding. The round was led by Eclipse VC, Real Ventures, Asimov Ventures, Evonik Industries, and MAS Holdings.
The company also said that it would prepare to enter the market with a Kickstarter in 2016 as it looks to attract early adopters to BASE, a 3D printed insole that would be the company’s first product to hit the market.
“The technology we have created is our foundation, but ultimately our vision is to add 10 active years to people’s lives,” said Shamil Hargovan, CEO of Wiivv. “Through our Kickstarter campaign, we hope to bring our first product to market with a community of Wiivv’s earliest adopters – those who feed our vision of giving people the power of customized, body-perfect gear.”
The funds raised by the Kickstarter campaign will go towards the manufacturing and fulfilment of the BASE insoles as the company looks to ship in January 2016, according to their website.
“Wiivv is at the forefront of mass customization, a new approach to traditional manufacturing that is on par with the ‘on-demand’ world we live in today,” said Alan Meckler, co-founder and general partner of Asimov Ventures. “Wiivv is poised to serve as the gateway for body-part specific telemetry, and made-to-fit gear using a cutting edge adaptive manufacturing system. Their team and bold vision exemplify the kind of partners we choose to work with.”
