Hubble Connected acquiring infant heart monitor firm Kaishi

Hubble Connected, the Internet of Things (IoT) company which sells nursery products under the Motorola brand, announced its intent to acquire Kaishi - producer of an “award-winning” fetal heart-rate listening device - on Wednesday.

The company said that the acquisition would enable Hubble to extend its own portfolio beyond the ‘connected nursery’ and into the prenatal stage, with both an IoT device and a social platform which allows parents the ability to track their child’s development from the 18-week pregnancy stage to three years of age.

It said the deal also represented the first acquisition of a company incubated by BCG Digital Ventures in California since it was founded a mere three years ago.

“Hubble is extremely excited by the opportunity that acquiring the Kaishi prenatal device provides, both to strengthen our core mission of being the global leader in the connected nursery space, and to build a more substantive relationship with young parents as they confront a range of new category and product choices at this pivotal life moment,” said Hubble Connected founder and CEO Dino Lalvani.

“Integrating Kaishi into Hubble’s platform also allows us to partner more effectively with leading global baby care brands and retailers, connecting them in innovative ways to expecting and new parents.

“We are delighted to be able to roll Kaishi out across Europe and the US.”

The companies would integrate their mobile app platforms to allow the full family of Motorola-branded nursery devices to be monitored in a single app, providing a “rich source of relevant content” and community features to all its users.

Hubble’s board said the transaction would solidify the company as a leader in the digital nursery space, and create a “huge opportunity” for global brands to engage digitally with expectant mothers and mothers of young children via the Hubble platform.

Kaishi, which was launched in the fourth quarter of 2016 in China, had won “multiple prestigious international awards” over the last 12 months.

Hubble said it had more than 160,000 registered users to date, with sales continuing to increase as the device rolled out across China.

“Kaishi’s acquisition by Hubble is a huge leap forward for us,” said Kaishi co-founder and CEO Steve Mallouk.

“It will accelerate Kaishi’s release into new markets and drive long-term growth both in and out of China.

“Hubble and Kaishi share a common vision of being the global leader in the connected nursery space, centered around a simple, unified, digital platform for young families.”