3M New Ventures, the corporate venture organization of 3M, announced that it has invested in Zephyr Technology, a developer of real-time physiological monitoring solutions for well-being applications in healthcare, first responder, sports, military, and industrial markets. The series C financing round also included investments by Alsop Louie Partners, Motorola Solutions Venture Capital, and others.

Zephyr is inventing unique ways to monitor human performance through patented smart fabric sensor technology, original algorithms and system design. These sophisticated biometric sensors for monitoring ECG, heart rate, breathing rate, estimated core temperature, activity and posture and BioSense® analysis algorithms provide real-time monitoring of the well-being of people in a wide range of applications. Zephyr is currently operating in markets as diverse as sports, wellness, defense and medical monitoring. In the medical field, products are applied to such things as monitoring of patients in ambulances, health management and in-home monitoring of chronic diseases.

Stefan Gabriel, president of 3M New Ventures said, “Measuring the performance and condition of people, workers, and patients is becoming increasingly important from a safety and performance standpoint.”

“We look forward to collaborating with Zephyr Technology to bring unique applications of physiological and biomechanical sensing and monitoring to our products that further enhance the safety and well-being of our customers across the markets we serve,” added Bob Anderson, vice president and general manager, 3M Security Systems Division.

“We see 3M as an important strategic investment and collaboration partner and are excited to explore growth opportunities in new markets where physiological status monitoring can be combined with existing and new 3M products and markets to create opportunities for both companies,” said Brian Russell, founder and CEO of Zephyr Technology.

3M New Ventures, headquartered in Munich, Germany, identifies and invests in highly innovative companies and disruptive new technologies with strategic relevance for 3M. The focus areas encompass energy, sustainability and water; health; electronics, IT and media; architecture, light and living; mobility and transportation; and safety and security.

About Zephyr Technology

Zephyr Technology was founded in 2003, and has been a pioneer in the use of physiological status monitoring in training and high stress operational environments. The company’s ongoing collaboration with sports teams, hospitals, fire departments, NASA Ames Research Center, and multiple U.S. Special Forces has been invaluable in the development and validation of Zephyr’s technology. The company is headquartered in Annapolis, MD

About 3M

3M generates $30 billion in annual sales, employs about 84,000 people worldwide and has operations in more than 65 countries.