Wearable startup company eyes foothold in night sports market

By Lee Min-hyung

Niports CEO Noh Seung-beom believes in the strong growth potential of wearable devices for night sports. The company sells light-emitting-diode (LED) athletics bands ― Specter ― in the United States.

The 28-year-old startup chief said he and two other co-founders gained confidence after the fashionable LED wearable device raised funds of more than $30,000 (33.7 million won) on U.S.-based crowd-funding platform Kickstarter, only 32 days after its launch in late June.

“With Niports gaining more-than-expected market responses, we were convinced of the strong demand in the night sports market,” he said in an email interview. “Our long-term goal is to turn the small startup into a well-known brand focusing on manufacturing nighttime hardware devices.”

Noh said he has always felt a strong sense of attraction for activities easing inconveniences of people.

He studied electrical engineering in college, but his experiences were far from those of the so-called “typical engineering students” in Korea. In college, he was awarded multiple times for making products and services ― such as a used books market and smartphone accessories ― for fellow students.

After graduation, he got a job at the U.S.-based engineering services firm, Honeywell. But it was not long before he decided to quit his career there.

“Google acquired a navigation service company which offered a similar service that I thought was great,” he said. “That was when I decided to start a venture career.”

In 2015, his idea for the LED band was awarded by Daegu Contents Korea Lab. The achievement allowed him to win a government-funded project. He then launched Spector at Kickstarter, seeking to gain global attraction for his idea.

“The sports equipment and device market for the nighttime is still in its infancy,” he said. “Our ultimate goal is to turn Niports into a globally-renowned brand for people who enjoy outdoor activities at night.”