Exclusive: Google quietly acquired a Seattle digital health startup that built an app to monitor breathing

"Google’s got a thing for Seattle health tech startups.

The tech giant acquired Sound Life Sciences, a small University of Washington spinout that developed an app to monitor breathing, GeekWire has learned.

A Google spokesperson confirmed the purchase of the company on Tuesday. Google did not provide additional information about the transaction, including when it occurred and an acquisition price.

Shyam Gollakota, the startup’s CEO and a UW computer science and engineering professor, declined to provide details when contacted by GeekWire.

Gollakota founded the company in 2018 with Jacob Sunshine, a UW Medicine associate professor of anesthesiology and pain medicine.

Sound Life Sciences’ app monitored breathing using sonar technology to detect movement. The app had the potential to ease the diagnosis of sleep apnea, which traditionally involves an overnight stay at a sleep disorder center. It could also enable people with conditions such as asthma or congestive heart failure to keep track of their respiratory rate.

The company employed five people as of December. The startup also received clearance that month from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to market the app, opening the door to reimbursement from insurance companies.

Following the FDA announcement, the company stopped posting on its LinkedIn and Twitter accounts. Its website is no longer active..." Lire la suite