Providence Health & Services and Sqord are teaming-up to help make kids healthier. Sqord combines a kid-proof wearable activity tracker, online games, and a kid-safe social media app to encourage kids to spend more time in active, physical play. The partnership in five states hopes to engage kids in the communities Providence serves.
At the same time, Providence Health & Services’ venture arm, Providence Ventures, is leading the seed-round funding with a $2.3 million investment in the startup.
Sqord combines a kid-proof wearable activity tracker, online games, and a social media app to encourage kids to spend more time in physical play.Providence first became involved with Sqord in a pilot program in several northwest Washington communities that was supported by the Snohomish County Health Leadership Coalition. Results of the pilot showed that over the course of a school year fifth grade students who wore the Sqord PowerPod increased their activity by 12 to 13 percent, while national statistics would predict a decrease in activity beginning at that age.
The Sqord wearable is available for $34.95, and with the purchase users get a kid-proof PowerPod along with a lifetime membership to Sqord’s kid-safe website. The company is looking to redefine active play for today’s connected generation of kids and families. Its hardware-software platform provides kids with a fun and easy way to track and share all of their activity throughout the day. Kids can then use that activity to compete with friends, earn points, achieve big wins, find new activities to do, and collect limitless virtual rewards – just for getting up and playing. Sqord has offices in downtown Seattle, Wash. and Durham, N.C.
Providence Health & Services is the third largest not-for-profit health system in the United States and its services include 34 hospitals, 475 physician clinics, senior services, supportive housing, and many other health and educational services. The health system and its affiliates employ more than 76,000 people across five states – Alaska, California, Montana, Oregon and Washington – with its system office located in Renton, Washington.