Illumagear has an important mission: Keep workers safe on the job.
The Seattle company is the maker of the Halo Light, a patented 360-degree personal safety system that attaches easily to any standard hard hat.
Today, the company is getting a bit closer to its mission, raising $1.25 million in startup financing. It plans to use the money to boost sales and marketing. Backers include Peter Küttel and Rodger May of MK Ventures, as well as former Microsoft exec J Allard.
Andrew Royal, president and chief product officer at Illumagear, said there’s been a lack of innovation in safety products and they are setting out to change that.
“Reflective gear hasn’t changed fundamentally in 40 years while improvements in flashlights haven’t changed the core functionality,” Royal said. “Delivering better experiences that radically improve the safety of people working in risky environments has the potential to increase productivity, reduce on-site accidents and worker compensation claims, and lower insurance costs. Our customers are already telling us they love The Halo Light and these customers represent a wide range of industries.”
Royal declined to say how many units have been sold to date, but he noted that the Halo Light is being used in construction, mining, transportation, power, facilities and oil & gas. Twenty one of the top 25 contractors in North America are using the device, he said.
Here’s Royal describing the 9-ounce Halo Light system, which has a suggested retail price of $229.