Instabeat® launches crowd funding campaign to fund its heads-up display for swimming

April 17, 2013 (BEIRUT)- Instabeat®, the first waterproof heads-up display monitor for swimmers, is launching its crowd funding campaign today with aims to go into full production.

Instabeat® is a revolutionary swimming device that can seamlessly and instantaneously track your workout so you can achieve your training and fitness goals. This non-intrusive device can be mounted to any pair of swimming goggles and measures the heart rate from the temporal artery, getting rid of the chest belt, by a ground-breaking sensing technology that makes Instabeat® the first of its kind.

It measures your heart rate, calories, number of laps and flip turns, and gives you real-time feedback of the heart rate zone during your swim through a colour code: blue if in the fat burning zone, green if in the fitness zone, and red if in the maximum performance zone. The device syncs all the above with your personal online dashboard so that you can track your progress over time.

“To date, swimmers have been using technologies that are designed for runners and bikers and later adapted to swimming, but those are not compatible with the complex biomechanics of swimming”, said Hind Hobeika, founder & CEO of Instabeat®. “The motion of the arms and the head makes it impossible for swimmers to read values off a watch throughout the workout, and adds friction to the motion of the swimmer. This is why we focused on integrating the device on an accessory swimmers already wear, reducing the amount of friction, and having the feedback on the lens, so that the swimmers can see it at all times and optimize their training.”

Instabeat® is launching its crowd funding campaign to raise $35,000 on Indiegogo to fund the manufacturing of the first device. It is inviting contributors to take part in this journey and help make a huge difference in the swimming world. Rewards include the device at a special rate ($99 for the first 50 devices and $139 instead of $149 pre-order price on the website), stylish swimming suits, and more surprises to come! If you are interested in making a difference in the swimming world, join the revolution here

About Instabeat®

Instabeat® is an innovative sports technology start-up based in Lebanon that was founded in 2011 by Hind Hobeika out of a need for a heart rate monitoring device for her swimming practices. The start-up was awarded the first prize at the MIT Enterprise Forum Pan Arab Business Plan Competition in 2012 and the third prize at the Stars of Science competition organized by Qatar Foundation in 2010.

More at www.instabeat.me

About Indiegogo

Indiegogo is an international crowd funding site founded in 2008, headquartered in San Francisco, California. As of 2012, it has hosted over 100,000 funding campaigns in areas such as music, charity, small business and film.

About Crowd funding

Crowd funding describes the collective effort of individuals who network and pool their money, usually via the Internet, to support a project initiated by other people or organizations (Wikipedia). Projects can be of any nature: consumer products, films, music albums, etc. The funding campaign offers pre-set rewards or perks to its contributors depending on the amount they pledge: it can be early access to the movie, naming a character, a device at a discounted price, etc.

Startups usually prefer crowd funding campaigns over other types of investment, because of the additional non-financial advantages it provides such as a boosted profile for the creator, a low cost tool for marketing, early customer acquisition, and early feedback about the product.