Oura Built a Smart-Ring Market Beyond the ‘Biohacking’ Fringes

Tom Hale, who runs Finnish smart-ring maker Oura Health Ltd. from its office in San Francisco, has noticed a bit of a stoicism gap between the Nordic and American cultures. “One of the things Finns really don’t like about Americans is that we get very excited. Everything’s ‘Great! It’s amazing!’ ” Hale, who was raised in Reno, Nevada, says on a sunny San Francisco afternoon. “For them, when something’s quite good, it’s ‘OK.’” he says, chuckling. “So now I always say, ‘Good job, you guys. You did very OK.’ ”

Hale, 56, is cruising through a chicken-kale salad at Per Diem, ...