Since the company’s inception in 2008, Withings has been thought of as an innovator in the consumer health tech space. Sleep and fitness trackers, along with smart scales and Wi-Fi cameras that can monitor your home’s air quality all fall squarely within their wheelhouse. Seeing an opportunity after forming their new Nokia Technology modern tech unit, Nokia decided to buy Withings back in April. As of today, the acquisition is complete and Withings is fully operational as a Nokia subsidiary. While Withings as a brand will stick around until further notice, the company itself has been absorbed into Nokia, with most functions falling under the Nokia Technologies banner, under their Digital Health business.
Though the pecking order will stay largely the same, there will be a few changes. For starters, Withings’ former CEO, Cedric Hutchings, will be heading up the Digital Health business unit and reporting directly to Nokia Technologies President Ramzi Haidamus. Other staff will be helping to develop digital health solutions under Nokia’s banner, in much the same vein as those they developed for Withings. These employees will now be working alongside current employees of Nokia’s Digital Health business, including patient care and preventive health experts. Now able to fully flex their muscles by moving in on the product development sphere, Nokia Technologies’ Digital Health unit will be making good use of consumer confidence in the Nokia name to push out innovative new smart health products using Withings’ talent and technology.
With the Finnish telecoms giant having completed their acquisition of the French health innovator under their new Nokia Technologies unit, the consumer push should be coming into full swing in the near future. With other sub-departments being Digital Media, Brand Licensing and Patent Licensing, Nokia Technologies seems poised to make headway in just about any market and doing a number of things, from selling consumer products to creating advertising campaigns and licensing out their patent portfolio for some side cash. The future of Nokia Technologies and the intended endgame are still a bit on the mysterious side, but the acquisition of Withings and the consumer-facing nature of the Digital Health business unit give a pretty good idea of what’s to come.