Is Jawbone Apple And Google’s Biggest Threat?

Long before there were wearable devices, there was Jawbone. The brainchild of founder and CEO Hosain Rahman, the hardware and gadgets manufacturer is now a multi-billion-dollar company that is becoming a personal electronics powerhouse and brand.

Which is why we’re thrilled to announce that Rahman will be speaking at Disrupt NY in May.

There’s been more attention on Jawbone of late as wearables gain traction among consumers — the company just released its high-powered wearable, the Jawbone UP24, a wristband and app that tracks how you sleep, move and eat. Jawbone is also the maker of the wireless, portable speaker, the Jambox, and offers Bluetooth headsets. But unlike other device manufacturers, Rahman has been able to differentiate itself through design, applying the Apple playbook to more than just computers and phones.

But of late, Rahman has been exploring ways to emphasize the “connectedness” of his devices and help take some of the data accumulated by devices like the UP24, and create a better experience for the consumer. Last year, Rahman brought on Monica Rogati, formerly a senior data scientist at LinkedIn, to be the company’s first VP of data. The company also acquired nutrition company Massive Health to add to its data-mining effort.

As Rahman explained to us in the past, the company is taking it a step further than just showing how many steps you’ve traveled or calories burned. Jawbone wants to take deep dives on sleep, weather, nutrition and exercise data and connect the dots between these data points.

As we heard recently, the company has raised $250 million in funding at a $3.3 billion valuation, which will include hot new investor Rizvi Traverse. There’s a reason why the top VC firms on Sand Hill Road are continuing betting on Rahman and Jawbone. The company’s backers include Andreessen Horowitz, Kleiner Perkins, Khosla Ventures and Sequoia Capital.

It’s no secret that Apple is going to enter the wearables market, and Google’s acquisition of Nest is a strong signal that the search giant has ambitions of owning the connected device category, as well. In fact, Google has been sniffing around acquiring a wearable startup of late.

But as hardware enters a new renaissance with the advancements in mobile and data, Rahman is going to be the one to watch.

Tickets are currently available for Disrupt NY and are on sale until March 8th when they will jump in price by $250. There are also numerous opportunities for startups to exhibit, sponsor and pitch at Disrupt. 

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