Last summer, California-based Skully launched a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo with a goal of $250,000 for its new smart helmet, AR-1. During its run on the global platform, the project quickly surpassed its initial goal and at the end raised $2.4 million from over 1,900 backers. Now, the SEC has revealed that the startup has raised another $1.5 million.
TechCrunch reported that the financing, which took the form of convertible securities, was added to existing cash that Skully had raised through its crowdfunding campaign and previous fundraising. A company spokesperson confirmed to the media outlet that Skully has raised a total of $5.8 million in both pre-orders and angel investment so far.
As previously reported, AR-1 is considered the world’s first augmented reality motorcycle helmet. It is made of lightweight, aerodynamic polycarbonate and is considered highly weather resistant. Along with anti-fog, anti-scratch, anti-glare E-Tint visor, the helmet has the following features:
- Heads Up Display: Shows critical information in the user’s line of sight, which allows them to keep their eyes on the road ahead.
- Rearview Camera: Gain full situational awareness with its wide-angle rearview camera.
- GPS Navigation: Never miss another turn with an integrated navigation system that gives the user timely information even in low-reception areas.
Yahoo! reported that the AR-1 also includes Bluetooth connectivity and a smartphone companion app, for Android and iOS, which allow you to sync the helmet with your phone so you can make and receive calls, along with play music from services like Pandora. All of the features included are through via Skully’s built-in voice recognition software.
While each motorcycle and rider are different, the Skully companion app lets the users calibrate their helmet before they even put it on. Doing so will allow the app to automatically determine the optimal position for each helmet’s rearview camera to provide the best view for each rider, no matter height or size.
Over the two-month project, 1,950 helmets were sold to motorcycle enthusiasts from 47 countries, grossing SKULLY $2,815,401 in sales, a total that amounts to 1,126% over the company’s initial $250,000 goal. With that success, Skully has reportedly become the most successful tech campaign in Indiegogo history.
Founder and CEO of Skully Marcus Weller, Ph.D. stated,“Our team is truly humbled by the success of the campaign. We want to thank our supporters for believing in our vision and innovation, and we are looking forward to delivering AR-1 this coming year.”
Recently, AR-1 helmet was made available for pre-order as an exclusive holiday offering. Weller added, “We continue to be inundated with requests from people who missed out on the Indiegogo campaign, but want to get their hands on a Skully helmet either for themselves or, in some cases, to give as a holiday gift. So we worked with our suppliers to increase the early production availability and are proud to announce that a limited supply of AR-1 helmets will be available for pre-order just in time for the holidays.”
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