Sword Health acquires workplace injury prevention company Vigilant Technologies

Sword Health, a virtual MSK provider, has acquired Vigilant Technologies (VIT), a workplace injury prevention company. 

The acquisition will help Sword prevent MSK injuries and fuel its commercial growth, it said in its announcement. VIT was founded in 2016, and its stated goal is to increase productivity and reduce injuries before they occur. It offers wearable technology in the form of a shirt collar device, which helps correct posture and prevent injuries. It’s been able to reduce MSK injuries by 33% and unsafe behaviors by 47%, according to a press release about the announcement.

"SWORD created the most effective way in the market to treat MSK conditions, and we are excited to help achieve Sword’s mission of freeing two billion people from physical pain," said Andy Chan, founder and CEO of VIT, in the companies’ announcement.

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Chan and his small team intend to remain Pittsburgh-based, Pittsburgh Inno reported, and are excited about the deal’s potential to inspire other local startups. Chan will become product manager lead for Sword, the paper reported. 

VIT works with the Department of Defense, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and the construction industry, which combined represent tens of thousands of employees, according to the release. 

“We’re excited about VIT’s technology which adds to SWORD’s capability to provide acute, chronic, post-surgical, and preventative MSK care,” said Virgílio Bento, CEO of SWORD Health, in the announcement. 

In total this year, Sword has raised $110 million in two funding rounds. It’s among a crowded virtual MSK market which has emerged at the forefront of health tech in the past several years.