GoKawiilUltrahuman raises $70M from Qualcomm to make smart rings run software directly
Indian wearable maker Ultrahuman has closed a $70 million funding round backed by Qualcomm Ventures, Labcorp, Alpha Wave, Blume Ventures, Nexus Venture Partners and Alteria Capital, valuing the company at $365 million—roughly three times its 2023 valuation. The round includes $65 million in equity and $5 million in debt, and Ultrahuman is now developing a new ring built on Qualcomm silicon instead of its current Nordic Semiconductor chip.
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Swapping in Qualcomm's chip would let the ring process algorithms locally rather than leaning on a paired phone or the cloud, potentially turning it into a standalone computing device rather than just a fitness tracker. If Ultrahuman succeeds in enabling third-party apps, gaming controls, AI interaction, or car-key functions on a ring, it could reshape wearables from passive sensors into general-purpose ambient computers, a space Qualcomm clearly wants a stake in.
- Ultrahuman's valuation triples to $365M with Qualcomm Ventures joining as an investor.
- A future Qualcomm-powered ring aims to run software on-device, cutting reliance on phones or cloud processing.
- Planned uses include AI interaction, gaming, car keys, and pointer/mouse functionality beyond health tracking.
Ultrahuman Ring AIR — This is the smart ring at the center of the story — the lightweight titanium tracker that put Ultrahuman on the map for sleep, recovery, and movement tracking. Wearing one now is a good way to see where the category stands before the company's more computer-like next generation arrives.
See Ultrahuman Ring AIR on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: techcrunch.com — Jagmeet Singh, 2026-09-03
Published there as: “Qualcomm backs Ultrahuman in $70M round on bet to turn smart rings into computers”
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