We reported on the GoBe last week as the campaign was crossing $300,000 on Indiegogo. The campaign seeks to fund a new activity tracker that promises some really slick functionality, including the ability to read calories burned during exercise based on glucose levels in our cells. That claim in particular would have set this device apart from other competitors in the wearables market. Unfortunately for the makers of the GoBe, the campaign just got eviscerated in PandoDaily. The headline claims “it might be total bullshit.”
Ouch.
Here’s a synopsis of some of the allegations author James Robinson describes in the piece…
- Project creators with little to no discernible online history
- A campaign page that hails from San Francisco, but a team based in Russia and a creative agency based in New Hampshire
- A clinical dietician’s comments stating that “If you actually had this technology, Indiegogo would be the last channel you’d go through” among other protests
- A claim that the product was demoed at CES 2014, but no mention of them in the exhibitor’s directory
The piece took Robinson around two days to research according to his Twitter profile. Indiegogo contributions are non-refundable, so many have resorted to seeking refunds via either Indiegogo comments or direct contact with the HealBe team.
Interestingly, HealBe’s Artem Shipitsin commented on the Pando article offering to host Robinson at HealBe’s lab in Russia. We’re not holding our breath for that trip to happen.
We’ve reached out to the HealBe team for comment on the article and their product.
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