Apple among companies interested in buying health tracker maker Basis

basis watch

TechCrunch is reporting this evening that Basis, the company behind the Basis Health fitness tracker, has put itself up on the auction block. And, as usual, there are a number of high-profile tech companies interested in buying it including Microsoft, Google, Samsung and yes, Apple.

To be more specific, Basis makes a smartwatch-like device that it calls the “world’s most advanced health tracker.” It has built-in sensors capable of capturing heart rate patterns, tracking multiple sleep stages and calorie expenditure by activity, and even monitoring skin temperature…

Here’s the report from TechCrunch:

“Basis Science, the company behind the Basis Health Tracker Watch, is on the market, according to two people familiar with the matter. We’ve heard that the company has been shopping itself around over the past few weeks and has spoken to Google, Apple and possibly Samsung and Microsoft about a potential sale. 

The price we’ve heard for any possible activity is “sub-hundred million,” which could mean a small return for investors like Norwest Venture Partners, Mayfield Fund and Intel Capital, who have poured over $30 million into the company.”

So why is it putting itself up for sale? Well according to the outlet, it’s either this or going after C-round funding. You see, while Basis might have the most accurate sensors in the world, its hardware design is a bit clumsy. So it’s either this, or try and raise money to fund further design R&D.

basis back

And as for why companies would be interested in buying Basis, I don’t think that’s too hard to figure out. All of the above firms have been rumored to be working on smartwatch-like devices, and the technology that Basis is using in its products would be extremely useful to any one of them.

Apple in particular has been rumored to be focusing its efforts on a wearable device with various health monitoring functions, including everything from activity and sleep tracking, to blood glucose and hydration measurements. It’s even reportedly working on heart attack prediction tech.

If true, it’ll be interesting to see who snaps Basis up, for how much, and what the end result is. It seems like it’s a little late in the game for Apple to buy the company for its iWatch product, since it’s expected to launch later this year, but it managed to integrate AuthenTech’s tech quickly.

Thoughts?