One of the big things we took away from CES this year is that the do-it-yourself smart home is poised to explode in 2014. Sensor tech has gotten cheaper and more advanced in the past few years, which has allowed start-ups across the globe to build more and more connected home gadgets.
As such, venture capitalists and angel investors are dumping truckloads of money into smart home start-ups, banking on the fact that automated, connected homes will become the norm.
The latest start-up to get a substantial VC cash injection is Snupi, which just landed $7.5 million to help bring WallyHome (its first product) to market in the next few months. This round of funding was led by Washington Research Foundation Capital, Madrona Venture Group, and a handful of individual investors.
The WallyHome system consists of seven separate devices – six independently-powered moisture sensors and one hub for them to communicate with. The idea is that homeowners can place these sensors in places around their houses that have a high risk of water damage, like under freezers, toilets, and pipes. In the event something should ever go wrong, the devices will immediately send an alert. A text, push notification, or email from WallyHome could help homeowners avoid costly repairs, mold, and property loss.
If things go smoothly, Snupi plans to bring the WallyHome system to consumers as early as March 2014. The set will go for $299, which might sound steep, but it’s only a drop in the bucket compared to the kind of cash it takes to repair a room full of water-damaged floorboards.
More details on specs and pre-orders can be found here.
