Zuli Raises $1.65 Million in Seed Funding to Launch the First Smartplugs to Enable a Completely Touch-less Smart Home Experience
Poster: SySAdmin
Posted on August 27, 2014 at 6:42:01 AM
Zuli Raises $1.65 Million in Seed Funding to Launch the First Smartplugs to Enable a Completely Touch-less Smart Home Experience
Prominent Investors Menlo Ventures, Winklevoss Capital, Logitech and Others Line up to Back Zuli
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 27, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Following an oversubscribed Kickstarter campaign smart home company Zuli (http://www.zuli.io/) today announced a $1.65 million seed round of funding to enable the company to bring their first product, the Zuli Smartplug, to market. Participating in the round were prominent venture capitalists and industry veterans including Menlo Ventures, Winklevoss Capital, Logitech, DeNA, XG Ventures, FreedomPop CEO Stephen Stokols, and Hossein Eslambolchi, former CTO of AT&T. Zuli also announced it has established a close development partnership with design firm Astro Studios, designers of the Nike FuelBand and Xbox 360.
"Zuli's technology has the potential to fundamentally change the experience in our homes," said Mark Seigel of Menlo Ventures. "We see them setting a new bar and playing a major role in driving the smart home industry forward."
Inspired by the vision that your home could be aware of your presence and respond accordingly, the Zuli Smartplug leverages the company's proprietary Bluetooth Low Energy mesh network and iBeacon technology to make your home contextual. And, with Zuli's smartphone app users can control, monitor and create custom proximity-based experiences for their lights, devices and appliances based on what room they're in.
With a minimum of three Zuli Smartplugs and your smartphone in your pocket, the system will know whether you're in the bedroom, living room, bathroom or kitchen and respond accordingly - automating your preferences, while ensuring the lowest possible energy consumption. Zuli eliminates the need for mechanical timers, dimmers, motion sensors or a complicated and costly installation by giving you a touch-less way to have your own "Bill Gates smart home."
"Zuli's sole focus is to create a simpler, more enjoyable home experience, by enabling your home to adjust to where you are and what you like," said Zuli CEO and co-founder Taylor Umphreys. "With Zuli Smartplugs, come home to have the lamps brighten to an ambient level, while your heater starts and music fades simply by walking in to the room. Save energy and set your Zuli Smartplugs to shut off appliances when you leave the room - all without ever taking your phone out of your pocket."
In addition to creating a personalized home experience, Zuli also allows users to monitor energy consumption directly from the app, providing insights on electricity-usage patterns by device and allowing consumers to become more conscious and efficient in their usage.
Batch one of Zuli's Smartplugs are sold out. Starting today you can now reserve your spot for batch two at http://www.zuli.io.
About Zuli
Zuli (http://www.zuli.io/) is enabling the personalized smart home with a Bluetooth Low Energy Smartplug that responds and adapts to you, by recognizing your precise location, identity, and specific preferences. Zuli was conceived by co-founders Taylor Umphreys, CEO; Sid Bhargava, CTO; and Ben Chang, VP of Operations, who were inspired to create a simpler, more intelligent smart home experience for their every day lives. The company is backed by leading investors, including Menlo Ventures, Winklevoss Capital, Logitech, FreedomPop CEO Stephen Stokols and former AT&T CTO Hossein Eslambolchi. Zuli is headquartered in San Francisco.
Follow us on Twitter @Zulihome and Facebook at Zulihome
Media Contact for Zuli:
Paul Brady
Consort Partners
E-mail: zuli@consortpartners.com
Tel: +1 646-491-2777
SOURCE Zuli
Zuli
Web Site: http://www.zuli.io/
Prominent Investors Menlo Ventures, Winklevoss Capital, Logitech and Others Line up to Back Zuli
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 27, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Following an oversubscribed Kickstarter campaign smart home company Zuli (http://www.zuli.io/) today announced a $1.65 million seed round of funding to enable the company to bring their first product, the Zuli Smartplug, to market. Participating in the round were prominent venture capitalists and industry veterans including Menlo Ventures, Winklevoss Capital, Logitech, DeNA, XG Ventures, FreedomPop CEO Stephen Stokols, and Hossein Eslambolchi, former CTO of AT&T. Zuli also announced it has established a close development partnership with design firm Astro Studios, designers of the Nike FuelBand and Xbox 360.
"Zuli's technology has the potential to fundamentally change the experience in our homes," said Mark Seigel of Menlo Ventures. "We see them setting a new bar and playing a major role in driving the smart home industry forward."
Inspired by the vision that your home could be aware of your presence and respond accordingly, the Zuli Smartplug leverages the company's proprietary Bluetooth Low Energy mesh network and iBeacon technology to make your home contextual. And, with Zuli's smartphone app users can control, monitor and create custom proximity-based experiences for their lights, devices and appliances based on what room they're in.
With a minimum of three Zuli Smartplugs and your smartphone in your pocket, the system will know whether you're in the bedroom, living room, bathroom or kitchen and respond accordingly - automating your preferences, while ensuring the lowest possible energy consumption. Zuli eliminates the need for mechanical timers, dimmers, motion sensors or a complicated and costly installation by giving you a touch-less way to have your own "Bill Gates smart home."
"Zuli's sole focus is to create a simpler, more enjoyable home experience, by enabling your home to adjust to where you are and what you like," said Zuli CEO and co-founder Taylor Umphreys. "With Zuli Smartplugs, come home to have the lamps brighten to an ambient level, while your heater starts and music fades simply by walking in to the room. Save energy and set your Zuli Smartplugs to shut off appliances when you leave the room - all without ever taking your phone out of your pocket."
In addition to creating a personalized home experience, Zuli also allows users to monitor energy consumption directly from the app, providing insights on electricity-usage patterns by device and allowing consumers to become more conscious and efficient in their usage.
Batch one of Zuli's Smartplugs are sold out. Starting today you can now reserve your spot for batch two at http://www.zuli.io.
About Zuli
Zuli (http://www.zuli.io/) is enabling the personalized smart home with a Bluetooth Low Energy Smartplug that responds and adapts to you, by recognizing your precise location, identity, and specific preferences. Zuli was conceived by co-founders Taylor Umphreys, CEO; Sid Bhargava, CTO; and Ben Chang, VP of Operations, who were inspired to create a simpler, more intelligent smart home experience for their every day lives. The company is backed by leading investors, including Menlo Ventures, Winklevoss Capital, Logitech, FreedomPop CEO Stephen Stokols and former AT&T CTO Hossein Eslambolchi. Zuli is headquartered in San Francisco.
Follow us on Twitter @Zulihome and Facebook at Zulihome
Media Contact for Zuli:
Paul Brady
Consort Partners
E-mail: zuli@consortpartners.com
Tel: +1 646-491-2777
SOURCE Zuli
Zuli
Web Site: http://www.zuli.io/