Deako, a smart lighting startup based in Seattle, has raised another US$4 million for its modular lighting system. Since its founding in 2015, the company has raised a total of US$15 million.
Deako, a smart lighting startup based in Seattle, has raised another US$4 million for its modular lighting system. Since its founding in 2015, the company has raised a total of US$15 million.
The company plans to use the fund to add another six to 10 talents, mostly in sales and marketing, to its 25-people team.
Deako works mostly with homebuilders and electricians, who may choose to install Deako’s base lighting model or smart lighting technology for new houses.
Deako sells smart switches and has designed its products modularly so that outdated technologies can be easily replaced with new models.
Its smart lighting system doesn’t require smart light bulbs, and it works with existing wiring systems at home.
“With Deako’s modular system, builders can offer the entire home – every single switch – already wired for smart lighting when homeowner moves in. Deako’s modular system gives the ability to easily upgrade in seconds with a ‘click-in’ smart switch,” said Derek Richardson, the founder and CEO of Deako.
However, these homes are required to have a Wi-Fi bridge made by Deako in order to enable remote access and over-the-air upgrades.
Deako’s light switch is a touchscreen panel which doesn’t require special wiring or hubs to control. Homeowners can also control lights via smartphone apps or voice assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
The company claims its technology will be adopted in 20 percent of new homes built in Seattle. In the past three months, it has agreed with more than 20 homebuilders to put Deako’s technology in 1,000 new homes across the U.S., according to the company.
Deako founder Richardson came up with the idea after experiencing difficulties to install smart light switches by himself. He is an ex-employee of BlackBerry and Cypress Semiconductor.