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Manchester-based luxe smart sportswear startup Prevayl bags £7.5M for its intelligent garment

Prevayl
Image credits: Prevayl

In a recent development, Prevayl, a luxe ‘smart’ sportswear company, has secured £7.5M in funding from Stonebridge – the digital-first consumer brand investment firm. 

The new investment is headed by DTC entrepreneur James Cox, who’s best known for his association with Simba Sleep, Mahabis, and Torque Brands.

The new funding will be used to kit out state-of-the-art laboratories and fitness areas with data testing facilities, new hires, garment design, continued innovation, and IP creation, and developing an infrastructure that will facilitate growth, says the company. 

Gap in connected clothing brand

Adam Crofts (CEO), and David Newns (Chair) founded the company, as the duo spotted a gap in the market for a connected clothing brand that would look considered, feel great and provide exemplary performance data.

The Manchester-based company has an elite team of experienced apparel designers, hardware developers, intellectual property experts, and marketers from GymShark, The Hut Group, VF Corporation, Lacoste, and Burberry, among others. 

Smart clothing

Prevayl garments allow the wearer to connect with their body via invisible, sophisticated tech, to an app that monitors performance and recovery to enhance the user’s experience. 

The third-party test is provided by the University of Salford and Manchester Metropolitan University. It has also been tested on fighter pilots.

Measures variability

Unlike other devices that offer just Heart rate, pace, and training zone, Prevayl can offer meticulous insight and analysis of the body from comprehensive ECG (electrocardiogram) data that identifies heart rate and variability including; heart rate zone and recovery, orthostatic heart rate, cardio age, heart function, atrial fibrillation, and ectopic heartbeat. 

It measures the breathing state, time and type (thoracic/diaphragmatic), ventilatory threshold, and minute volume to recognise dysfunctional breathing and stress levels. 

In addition, it measures core temperature, energy expenditure, and hydration. Finally, it looks at IMU (inertial measurement unit) so it can understand acceleration, body position, and activity classification between walking, running, cycling, HIIT, yoga, and more. 

Invisible stainless steel threads

The sensors are connected by invisible stainless steel threads, surrounded by a yarn that expands with heat to keep them close to the body. This is held in an internal panel that sits under the bra in the women’s crop top and around the chest in the men’s tank top, to pick up the ECG from the heartbeat and the breathing rate from the lungs.

To secure £7.5 million pre-revenue is testament to the whole team.” said CEO, Adam Crofts.

“Everyone is on the same page – the drive and ambition are palpable. Creating a global community and owning the connected clothing market hinges on cultivating genuine buzz and talkability.” 

“Which ultimately relies on creating a product that not only knocks others out of the park but also on the right infrastructure to scale at pace.”

“Partnering with Stonebridge has undoubtedly been a leg up for the business. It’s providing us access to the Torque Brands eCommerce platform, which will accelerate our ability to scale, whilst offering our community a slick user experience – helping us fulfil our global ambitions.”

“We are all really focused on igniting a new era of innovation that not only gets the blood flowing and puts the heartbeat back into the region’s rich textile heritage, but puts Prevayl on the map worldwide.”

Managing Partner at Stonebridge, James Cox said: “What the company has created over the last 24 months is quite amazing and sits right in the sweet spot of what we believe consumers want. The founders are world-class and well on the way to disrupting another large global market and were delighted that we can be part of that journey with them. Prevayl is the perfect example of the type of company which we love to back.”

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