His wearable tech clothes are used from Premier League footballers and NFL athletes to membership bouncers and care home residents. Yet, Tim Brownstone by no means meant to start out an organization embracing such various industries, regardless of his pioneering know-how being praised by scientists.
Indeed, the Briton had began out as a proficient sportsman in equestrian, sprinting at a low worldwide degree as a youngster, earlier than rowing as a college light-weight. The change got here in early 2013, having labored on his concept for 5 years in parallel to his animal science diploma at University of Reading.
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“It was the formative research that led to setting up Kymira,” he says. “It was all from academic and impact motivation. My speciality was applying infrared light for wound healing applications and I never intended to start a company.
“But I was more interested in developing the fundamental technology to help people as opposed to sticking in academia.”
Kymira, he says, began with a query. “Could I use a non or lesser regulated market to bring a would be medical technology market and translate it into therapeutic and medical applications. With technology, the answer was ‘yes’.”
With a projected turnover of £3.5m in both 2022 and 2023, Brownstone has also raised £5.2m in investment since launch, including £3.7m led by UK investor and former Saracens Rugby club owner, Nigel Wray, in February.
Kymira talks to prospective clients in different ways. For scientists and highly qualified S&C coaches, discussions will be more feature focused. “They will want to interrogate the science, the chemical reactions that will occur in the body such as pain relief responses and increase in circulation,” provides Brownstone.
“For consumers, athletes and coaches, it will be more application focused. How it will help athletes, reducing injuries, recovery anywhere in the world, performance improvement and talking about the outcome.”
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Kymira’s path has now shifted to the consumer reasonably than shoppers going to movement seize labs or saunas, whereas its bio monitoring merchandise have sensors constructed into clothes.
The infrared know-how is utilized by quite a lot of elite organisations together with a raft of groups within the NFL, MLS and MLB. In the UK, the likes of Swansea FC and rugby league’s Warrington Wolves use merchandise whereas England Rugby internationals Jonny May and Henry Arundell, presently taking part in on the World Cup in France, are firm ambassadors.
Brownstone, who was awarded Great British Entrepreneur of the Year for Innovation in 2021, says that it was solely when a prime, undisclosed rugby staff received on board that Kymira’s orders took off.
“We had confidence in the science,” admits Brownstone, “it was hitting a critical mass of users in terms of market presence that the referrals and reference base is now so strong.”
It helps, too, that athletes corresponding to May use Kymira’s infrared efficiency and restoration clothes day and evening.
In warm-ups, as an illustration, Brownstone says the tech primes his muscle tissue and improves circulation. In sport exercise will see prolonged endurance, discount in damage and, hopefully, managing any damage niggles. After the match, Kymira present fast put up train tights, rising blood stream and decreasing swelling.
The wearable clothes are additionally used for journey and at evening. “If you have an athlete in a training centre for four hours per day, what about the other 20?” notes Brownstone. “That starts with daywear clothing and finishes the day with our sleep system, with pyjamas and bed sheets to maximsise the value overnight.”
Kymira had eight employees within the pandemic however after navigating a troublesome few months, there are round 35 employees at its Reading headquarters, with items produced in Mansfield. The US stays its prime client vacation spot, with 3,000 merchandise shipped in August alone.
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Kymira has additionally proved efficient in preventative healthcare. Pilot programmes have taken place with hospital porters, warehouse employees and even membership doormen carrying Kymira socks to scale back foot ache on shift.
Bed sheets are additionally utilized by Olympians and the elderly. In one other pilot in Kent, 60% of care home residents had been in a position to scale back ache treatment after three days, whereas 80% reported higher sleep high quality.
“This is why I started Kymira,” provides Brownstone. “One product is servicing completely polar ends of the market but having really impactful benefits, be it extending an athlete’s career or helping a pensioner walk again. Our technology doesn’t discriminate.”
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