OnBeep has raised $6.25 million to improve communication wearables

OnBeep is readying a wearable device that will let smartphone users initiate a voice chat with a pre-defined group of people, walkie-talkie style. And it’s got $6.25 million in funding to make that wearable a reality. The device will be customized for voice communication in small groups, and users will be able to activate it with a single touch. “We are in early testing right now, so we are keeping the product under wraps. But it can be clipped to a shirt, jacket, bag or purse strap,” CEO and co-founder Jesse Robbins said.

Stealth startup OnBeep got a little less stealthy today, announcing a new Series A round of $6.25 million in funding including investment from Riche Levandov of Avalon ventures, and including previous seed funding from WordPress-creator Matt Mullenweg and others. The company revealed a bit about their secretive product development back in January, when they talked about their efforts regarding developing communication wearables devices. Today, the company (which is led by co-founders Jesse Robbins, Greg Albrecht, and Roger Wood), have shared a bit more: The team, made up of 20 designers, engineers and other professionals with a strong background including time spent at Apple, Google, Motorola, iRobot and Amazon has partnered with PCH International’s Access accelerator to help bring the device to production this year.