Propeller Health Arm for Parallax ???? (Caution: Read at Your Own Risk)
JRetSapDoog
Posts: 954
In that Propeller-related news has been a little slow in the Forum these days, I thought I'd call attention to an article I came across mentioning the Propeller (link provided at the bottom). For example, the article mentions towards the end (and I quote) a "$5 million funding round for the Propeller," but it doesn't go into detail. One can only presume such funding has something to do with laying the groundwork for going to a 22nm fab process. Anyway, without getting carried away with undue speculation about that, I do have some comments regarding some of the other statements in the article:
[1] "Propeller Health ... has raised $14.5 million of financing...."
Although I'd heard of the inroads the Propeller has made in education, I wasn't aware that it was being aggressively targeted at the health field. Congrats on the establishment of the new health-care arm of the company. I was sad to see the withdrawal of the Semiconductor arm, but I think this is a good "trade."
[2] "Propeller will use the money to accelerate product development and to invest in strategic alliances, client services and sales and marketing...."
That's great news! Any acceleration of product development is welcome news in the Propeller community, particularly with respect to getting the Propeller 2 out. I just hope that they are not selling the (walnut) farm to create those "strategic alliances."
[3] "Put that together with a very strong team that has really accomplished a tremendous amount in a very short time and it's what we look for...."
I'm pretty sure that this refers to the rapid "retooling" that occurred to design the 16-cog chip after its predecessor was deemed too power hungry. I know that the new chip isn't out yet, but it's coming! The rather rapid turn-around effort by Chip has been quite amazing and a testament to his resolve. Understandably, he appears to have been too entrenched in design work to be interviewed for this particular article.
[4] "Van Sickle said he sees parallels between Propeller and some of the early-stage biotech companies, such as Genentech, that brought new types of drugs to market."
I'm not so sure about the conjectured similarities with the biotech industry, but I like the use of the word "parallels" here, which is clearly a pun, even though the writer didn't call overt attention to it. I'm kind of surprised, though, that our beloved company seems to be moving away from the Parallax name. However, this wouldn't be the first time that a company has restyled itself with the name of one of its star products (such as Research in Motion (RIM) becoming Blackberry).
[5] "In conjunction with the funding, Chris Hogg is joining Propeller as its chief operating officer. Hogg's job will be to grow the company's San Francisco office, with an emphasis on product and data teams, the company said."
I'm wondering whether the new-hire will affect Ken's day-to-day duties? I'm assuming he'll still man the fort back in Rocklin (or Madison, see below). But it sounds good to have a point person over in San Fran to take the pulse of the industry.
[6] "The bulk of Propeller's 34 employees are still in Madison, and the company plans to continue doing hardware and software engineering, client services and marketing from that location, Van Sickle said."
I was thinking it was closer to 40 employees. Anyway, I suppose that Madison refers to the township or district in which Rocklin is located. I couldn't find a reference to Madison near Rocklin on Google Maps, though I do see a Madison Migrant Center and Fire District on the other side of Sacramento.
In conclusion, it's nice to get some fresh Propeller news. I know that we all pretty much know what's going on (intense design effort with the goal of producing an FPGA image for testing and eventually a chip), but it's nice to get confirmation in print from the horse's mouth. Also, although I had blurted that Ken was temporarily out of the prediction business, I was pleasantly surprised that he said that he would provide a projected schedule when the time was right (or words to that effect). It's times like this that I'm happy to be wrong. Although I don't imagine that we'll see such a schedule until the image is released, I'm hopeful that the deafening silence of late is an indication that such a release is imminent.
Referenced article: http://www.jsonline.com/business/propeller-health-maker-of-digital-system-for-patients-with-respiratory-diseases-raises-145-milli-b99-273850201.html
[1] "Propeller Health ... has raised $14.5 million of financing...."
Although I'd heard of the inroads the Propeller has made in education, I wasn't aware that it was being aggressively targeted at the health field. Congrats on the establishment of the new health-care arm of the company. I was sad to see the withdrawal of the Semiconductor arm, but I think this is a good "trade."
[2] "Propeller will use the money to accelerate product development and to invest in strategic alliances, client services and sales and marketing...."
That's great news! Any acceleration of product development is welcome news in the Propeller community, particularly with respect to getting the Propeller 2 out. I just hope that they are not selling the (walnut) farm to create those "strategic alliances."
[3] "Put that together with a very strong team that has really accomplished a tremendous amount in a very short time and it's what we look for...."
I'm pretty sure that this refers to the rapid "retooling" that occurred to design the 16-cog chip after its predecessor was deemed too power hungry. I know that the new chip isn't out yet, but it's coming! The rather rapid turn-around effort by Chip has been quite amazing and a testament to his resolve. Understandably, he appears to have been too entrenched in design work to be interviewed for this particular article.
[4] "Van Sickle said he sees parallels between Propeller and some of the early-stage biotech companies, such as Genentech, that brought new types of drugs to market."
I'm not so sure about the conjectured similarities with the biotech industry, but I like the use of the word "parallels" here, which is clearly a pun, even though the writer didn't call overt attention to it. I'm kind of surprised, though, that our beloved company seems to be moving away from the Parallax name. However, this wouldn't be the first time that a company has restyled itself with the name of one of its star products (such as Research in Motion (RIM) becoming Blackberry).
[5] "In conjunction with the funding, Chris Hogg is joining Propeller as its chief operating officer. Hogg's job will be to grow the company's San Francisco office, with an emphasis on product and data teams, the company said."
I'm wondering whether the new-hire will affect Ken's day-to-day duties? I'm assuming he'll still man the fort back in Rocklin (or Madison, see below). But it sounds good to have a point person over in San Fran to take the pulse of the industry.
[6] "The bulk of Propeller's 34 employees are still in Madison, and the company plans to continue doing hardware and software engineering, client services and marketing from that location, Van Sickle said."
I was thinking it was closer to 40 employees. Anyway, I suppose that Madison refers to the township or district in which Rocklin is located. I couldn't find a reference to Madison near Rocklin on Google Maps, though I do see a Madison Migrant Center and Fire District on the other side of Sacramento.
In conclusion, it's nice to get some fresh Propeller news. I know that we all pretty much know what's going on (intense design effort with the goal of producing an FPGA image for testing and eventually a chip), but it's nice to get confirmation in print from the horse's mouth. Also, although I had blurted that Ken was temporarily out of the prediction business, I was pleasantly surprised that he said that he would provide a projected schedule when the time was right (or words to that effect). It's times like this that I'm happy to be wrong. Although I don't imagine that we'll see such a schedule until the image is released, I'm hopeful that the deafening silence of late is an indication that such a release is imminent.
Referenced article: http://www.jsonline.com/business/propeller-health-maker-of-digital-system-for-patients-with-respiratory-diseases-raises-145-milli-b99-273850201.html
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
Their only product seems to be a Bluetooth device that clips on top on a medical inhaler so it keeps track on how often you "normally" use it and reminds you through your smart-phone if it have been to long since last time etc.
14Millions for something that simple???
Reminds of the famous Russian author Ivan Bolokoff.
[h=3][/h]
technology of that Parallax has in regard to the propeller, it might show up in places you would never expect.
What do you think, PropGuy2?
[h=2]What is Propeller Health?[/h]Propeller is the leading mobile platform for respiratory health management. Through sensors, mobile apps and services, Propeller helps reduce the cost of care while delivering better quality of life for individuals with chronic respiratory disease.