Apple acquires health data start-up Gliimpse
What's the story
According to reports, Apple has acquired a three year old personal health data start-up Gliimpse, a company that collects and combines separate threads of personal health records. Apple issued an official statement about the purchase on Monday. Apple is looking to expand its presence in the health industry and this is the first acquisition made by Apple's digital health team.
Company Profile
Gliimpse
Silicon Valley based 'Gliimpse' was started in 2013 by Anil Sethi and Karthik Hariharan. Gliimpse has built a digital personal health data platform that enables any American to collect, personalize, and share a picture of their health data with a third party. Users also donate their records anonymously to a "national health graph," which would provide raw material to researchers seeking medical breakthroughs.
Personal
Anil Sethi's journey
Gliimpse was founded in 2013 by a seasoned entrepreneur Anil Sethi, who worked as a systems engineer for Apple in 1980s. He previously had healthcare start-ups which were acquired by Citrix Systems and WebMD in 2001 for more than $180 million.
Reaction
Apple's stand
The acquisition reportedly happened in early 2016, although it hadn't been announced. Apple confirmed the purchase, saying, "Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our plans". No confirmation from Gliimpse was received. The future of Gliimpse's team as part of the acquisition is unclear and it's integration into Apple's existing products is being speculated upon.
Information
Apple's earlier efforts in healthcare management
In 2014, Apple announced HealthKit, which aggregates data from both, fitness apps and health-care providers. In 2015, they launched ResearchKit, which lets researchers craft medical studies and recruit users via iOS apps. CareKit, launched in 2016, helps developers create apps to manage conditions like diabetes.