When Oura started out in 2013, wearable health devices, such as FitBits, were mostly the purview(范围，领域) of fitness-neurotics(健身狂人). The startup’s Finnish founders, however, had two convictions(坚定信念). First, that a ring would less intrusively yet more accurately monitor vital signs than a wristband, because of its proximity to blood flow.(第一，戒指比腕带更无感、更精准地监测生命体征，因为它更贴近血流。) Second, that it could be used to track not just exercise, but many other health indicators.
2013年Oura创立时，FitBit等可穿戴健康设备大多还是健身狂人的专属。然而，这家初创公司的芬兰创始人有两个坚定信念。第一，戒指比腕带更无感、更精准地监测生命体征，因为它更贴近血流。第二，戒指不仅能追踪运动，还能追踪许多其他健康指标。
Both beliefs turned out to be(结果证明是) correct, and today Oura’s rings adorn(装饰，佩戴) millions of fingers around the world, including those of A-listers(一线明星) such as Kim Kardashian, a reality-TV star, and Tom Holland, a film actor. On September 3rd the business filed to go public(申请上市) in America, reportedly seeking a valuation(估值) of more than $16bn. In the nine months to June it generated $1.2bn in sales, up by 74% on the same period a year earlier. Unlike many other buzzy startups seeking to go public, it is also profitable.(与许多其他寻求上市的热门初创公司不同，它已经实现盈利。)
事实证明，这两个信念都是正确的。如今，Oura的戒指戴在世界各地数百万人的手指上，包括金·卡戴珊、汤姆·赫兰德等一线明星。9月3日，该公司申请在美国上市，据称寻求超过160亿美元的估值。在截至6月的九个月里，它创造了12亿美元的销售额，同比增长74%。与许多其他寻求上市的热门初创公司不同，它已经实现盈利。
Oura’s rise was slow at first. In an interview with The Economist last month, Tom Hale, the company’s chief executive, recalls hearing time and again(一次又一次) from would-be(潜在的，未来的) customers some variation of: “I love the idea, but it’s a bit big for me.” Biohackers(生物黑客) and Silicon Valley nerds(极客，书呆子) accounted for(占（比例）) most of the early demand. Over time, however, technological advances, particularly around battery life, have allowed Oura to slim its devices down dramatically.(然而，随着时间的推移，技术进步，尤其是电池续航方面的进步，让Oura得以大幅缩小设备尺寸。) “No one looks at this and thinks it’s a piece of technology anymore,” says Ben Wood of CCS Insight, a research firm. “It almost looks the same as my wedding ring.”
Oura的崛起起初缓慢。上个月接受《经济学人》采访时，公司首席执行官汤姆·黑尔回忆道，他一次又一次从潜在客户那里听到类似的话：“我喜欢这个创意，但对我来说有点大。”生物黑客和硅谷极客构成了早期需求的大部分。然而，随着时间的推移，技术进步，尤其是电池续航方面的进步，让Oura得以大幅缩小设备尺寸。研究公司CCS Insight的本·伍德说：“现在没人看着它还会觉得它是一件科技产品。它看起来几乎和我的婚戒一样。”