Google makes investments in plenty of different companies through their Google Ventures division, and reports are surfacing that they may be on course to make what is being referred to as a “strategic investment” in Jawbone, a company that specializes in making mobile device accessories such as wearables, Bluetooth headsets etc. This news is first reported on by Re/Code who cited unnamed sources that are familiar with the potential talks between both companies. Neither Google nor Jawbone have apparently reached any terms for the agreement, which includes the amount of funding, and the investment is still not completely a go ahead.
Even though talks over the possible investment are still in the early stages, funding a company like Jawbone could help both parties. Google has deep pockets and a platform which could be used as a more focused and huge launchpad for Jawbone products which could end up gaining Jawbone even more recognition, and for Google they gain a partner who already has significant experience in the wearables space, which is a market Google is continuing to show interest in and move forward with in development of its own strategies, like Android Wear and Google Glass.
If an investment ends up happening it will only be just that, an investment, as Re/Code notes that rumors of a Google buyout of Jawbone is not in the cards. Google is also only one of a handful of investors that Jawbone has apparently been talking to about future funding, so we could see more than just Google investing in their future efforts, if Google ends up investing in the first place. Google invests in a wide range of different businesses and market spaces, as they just recently invested a large amount of funding into a company called Digit, which helps people to automate saving money on a consistent basis throughout the month in little, incremental amounts. If Google funds Jawbone, it’ll be interesting to see what Jawbone comes up with in the future and how their devices integrate with Android. Jawbone not only develops fitness trackers but they have developed a companion app for their devices which allows users to interface with the data collected by them, something akin to Google’s own fitness related app, Google Fit, which collects and feeds users data that is gathered by an assortment of large devices and apps.