Home automation has been one of those technology fields where innovation has come before demand. Much like it took e-readers a few decades to really catch on, home automation has been available, but not quite ready for its close-up.
But that situation may be changing fast, thanks in part to local startup
SmartThings.
The company has been gaining serious momentum, after a successful Kickstarter campaign and a seed funding round. Co-founder Ben Edwards notes that the industry is on the verge of major growth, and SmartThings is likely to boom along with it.
"We're seeing interest in partnerships with companies like insurance firms, who would benefit from more home automation," he says. "There are many unexpected partnership opportunities that we're pursuing right now."
The SmartThings platform is fairly simple, but ingenious. It allows numerous systems in a home to be connected to technology. For example, you could be at work and get an alert on your iPhone that someone has just opened a window in your house, or that the temperature has dropped by 20 degrees, indicating a potential mechanical issue. There's a level of control as well, allowing you to turn lights on and off while on vacation, for instance.
Just the promise of SmartThing's offering has created significant buzz. The company's seed funding round netted $3 million, augmenting the $1.2 million raised by its Kickstarter campaign.
Thanks to its potential, the company is on a hiring path, with a headcount in Minneapolis of 20, and 10 more employees in other parts of the country. Edwards says, "If feels like we're getting bigger every day."
Source: Ben Edwards, SmartThings
Writer: Elizabeth Millard