Oura is going public, but these smart ring companies are coming for its crown

Summarized from techcrunch.com


Oura, a Finnish smart ring manufacturer, filed for an initial public offering (IPO) on September 3, 2026, amid strong financial performance. The company reported nearly doubled revenue to $1.21 billion for the nine months ended June 30, 2026, and claimed sales of 3.6 million rings over the past year, with approximately 5 million paid members. The filing follows the launch of the Oura Ring 5, described as the company’s slimmest and lightest model to date.

Despite Oura’s market dominance, several competitors are emerging with innovative features aimed at challenging its position. French company Circular plans to introduce a ring enabling contactless payments via NFC, while Chinese firm RingConn has released a ring featuring haptic vibrations. Indian startup Ultrahuman, backed by a $70 million investment from Qualcomm Ventures, is developing a ring capable of running software directly on the device, potentially supporting AI interactions and gaming. The competitive landscape is shifting from pure health and sleep tracking towards incorporating a broader array of smartphone-like functionalities into the compact form factor of smart rings. Read the full article here.