PowaBand wants to reward physical activity with IAPs

Want to unlock some virtual currency in that smartphone game you’ve been playing? Are you willing to charge about the garden for half an hour to do it?

That’s idea behind a new startup called PowaBand. It’s a fitness tracker designed for kids aged 6-16. The device (which houses a six axis accelerometer/gyroscope) will track a user’s physical activity and in turn allow them to acquire in-game rewards for compatible games. It also works as a payment platform, with parents uploading credit that kids are able to ‘earn’.

Developers will have to manually opt-in to compatibility, although PowaBand has developed its own custom SDK and API to make this as easy as possible. The company will also handle the sign-up, rewards and payment platform.

Prototypes have already been made with production due to start in November.

Funding is in place, with a sizeable” seed round having recently been completed. PowaBand will not be crowdfunding the project. The team currently comprises seven people and expects to expand to ten in the coming months.

The company has also started dialogue with potential development partners – something it admits is crucial if it hopes for PowaBand to take off.

We’re building relationships with developers and having our development team help implement the code,” developer relations boss Alim Jaffer told MCV. We want to make it as painless as possible, and the first developers that join us will be getting the ‘royal treatment’ per se in order to thank them for coming on board early.

Many developers are interested and I’m meeting with many in the coming weeks. It will take some time to iron out all the details, but there is enough interest that I have no doubt we’ll have games coming on board.”

PowaBand will be at hand to demo its tech and speak to potential partners at the Develop Conference in Brighton later this month.

More information can be found on the official website.