Ello founder Ivan Mun reveals how his AI-powered home security system moves beyond video feeds to protect your home and keep loved ones safe.
Ivan Mun is not just a graduate of Singapore-based Aztech, where he served in several vice presidential roles for over eight years, he is also a serial entrepreneur in his own right.
In May this year he left the family company to go all-in on his new venture. With Ello, he now seeks to develop a solution to home security that is simpler, sleeker and still addresses all the various needs users might have. The biggest innovation lies in Ello’s user interface, which does away with complicated controls and replaces them with an easy-to-use chatbot.
With Ello, the user will primarily talk, from asking questions whether the baby’s still asleep to notifications that the delivery driver has dropped off the package. In this exclusive interview, Mun shared with asmag.com what’s under the hood of Ello.
Q: How did the idea for Ello come about? Was there a situation when you thought, "this is a problem that I have to solve," or "this is a solution, now I just need to match it to the right problem"?
Ivan Mun: ELLO came from observing three converging realities.
First, generative AI had matured—machines could now understand and respond in human language, not just detect motion or send generic alerts.
Second, camera usage behavior had become strangely obsessive. I found myself, and many others, doom-scrolling through home feeds, hoping to see nothing. It felt absurd. If the goal is peace of mind, why are we manually combing through hours of silence?
And third, edge AI became viable. With better on-device compute power, we could now process video intelligence locally, reducing latency and cloud dependency. But even then, most “smart” systems just became faster at reacting. Still passive. Still needing us to interpret what happened.
That’s when the idea clicked: what if we stopped making cameras smarter, and instead made them understand? ELLO isn’t just a better surveillance tool—it’s a rethinking of the relationship between people, their spaces, and the machines meant to protect them.
Q: How did that initial idea evolve into what it’s now?
Ironically, ELLO started with what we now consider just the shell—a sleek, dual-camera smart doorbell called “The Smarter Doorbell.” It had all the bells and whistles (pun intended), but as we engaged more deeply with users, one thing became clear: it wasn’t about the hardware. It was about what the hardware enabled.
The real value lay in the intelligence behind the lens. So ELLO pivoted—from a shiny device to a platform-first solution. That shift changed everything. We went from building a product to building an ecosystem. By becoming hardware-agnostic, we unlocked the flexibility to integrate across environments, work with third-party devices, and focus on what matters: delivering actionable insights, not just footage.
Today, our hardware isn’t the hero—it’s the bridge. The magic happens on the other side, where AI turns footage into understanding, and users into participants rather than monitors.
Q: What are the biggest challenges you’ve been facing so far—the ones that were maybe inevitable and that you expected, and the ones that surprised you?
There are two major ones that stand out.
First, building the right team. ELLO isn’t a simple software play—it’s a multi-disciplinary puzzle. Hardware, mobile, cloud, Gen-AI—they all need to come together seamlessly. It’s a bit like orchestrating a symphony where each instrument speaks a different programming language. Having the right team isn’t just helpful; it’s the only way we’ve been able to tackle complexity with agility.
Second, finding the right manufacturing partner. This was more surprising in how nuanced, and crucial, it became. You're not just looking for a factory; you're looking for a partner you can trust with your vision, one that understands the technical intricacies, meets the quality bar, and navigates the maze of regulatory compliance. When you find a good one, it’s liberating. It allows you to focus where your real value lies - for us, that’s the ELLO platform, not the assembly line.
Q: How has the feedback you’ve gotten so far shaped your concept—in terms of technology and in terms of UX?
One of the strongest responses we’ve had was to the option of controlling ELLO through familiar messaging platforms. While users still download the ELLO app for setup and full control, the ability to interact with their system via WhatsApp or Telegram, or other messaging apps was a clear winner. No need to learn a new interface—just ask, and ELLO responds. That simplicity struck a chord. It lowered friction and met people where they already are.
Beyond that, the feedback we received helped us zoom in on real-world use cases. Parents checking in on toddlers, caregivers monitoring loved ones, homeowners wanting real updates that matter without the noise. These stories weren’t just validation—they reminded us who we’re building for. And they’ve been instrumental in shaping both the tech roadmap and the human-centered experience.
Q: What—besides “you don’t need a complicated app for it”—is the best argument that you hope will convince users to opt for Ello?
Most systems expect you to adapt to themlearn their app, navigate their logic, speak their language. ELLO flips that. It adapts to you.
We’re not giving you more buttons to pushwe’re giving you fewer reasons to push them. You just ask, and ELLO responds with context, not chaos. It understands your intent, not just your motion triggers. It’s not about control for control’s sake - it’s about knowing someone’s at the gate without needing to open the feed for the hundredth time.
In a world full of “smart” systems that demand your attention, ELLO quietly earns your trust.
Q: What is your ideal first user? What’s the customer profile you target first, and what are the needs Ello will address in them better than other solutions?
Mothers. Especially the ones who juggle more tabs in their brain than on their browser. They want assurance, not anxiety. For them, ELLO is like a second pair of eyes—and ears—that speaks their language and respects their time. It’s built for those who care, worry, and need a little digital peacekeeper in their home.
Q: Tell me a bit about the AI that will power Ello. How are you planning to integrate it with apps and platforms that your users are already familiar with?
At its core, ELLO blends vision-language models with a conversational agent layer. In plain terms: it sees, understands, and communicates what actually matters. No endless footage. No vague alerts. Just intelligent, contextual responses.
We’re not limiting this intelligence to our own app. While users set up the Vision One through the ELLO app, we’re also integrating with platforms they already use—like WhatsApp, Messenger, or SMS—so they can interact with their security system as easily as texting a friend.
Imagine getting: “Someone’s been loitering at the front door for 3 minutes.”—sent as a message, not buried in an app notification. And while it's informing you, it's also triggering connected devices—like turning on the porch lights—to deter potential threats, proactively. That’s the kind of agency ELLO brings to home security: not just eyes and ears, but intuition.
Q: What’s your strategy for hardware rollout—like ELLO Vision One—and how will you differentiate it against the products of the security industry household names?
Vision One is our flagship—designed not just to look smart but be smart. It’s built to support real-time dynamic unmasking, edge-to-cloud processing, and our conversational AI platform.
While legacy brands compete on resolution arms races or slightly smarter motion detection, we focus on what truly matters: did something important happen?
Whether it's proactively alerting you that a parcel's been delivered and left unattended, or summarizing the day’s activity in a sentence, Vision One delivers relevance—not noise. No more hours of passive footage. No more guessing.
Beyond Vision One, we’re rolling out a full ecosystem: smarter doorbells, outdoor cameras, wire-free options—all designed to extend the ELLO experience. And on the horizon, we’re also developing platform offerings for B2B applications. Think of Vision One as the first chapter in a much bigger story.
Q: What pricing strategy do you have in mind?
We’re aiming for accessibility without compromise. Think of it like Spotify for security—affordable monthly intelligence on top of a one-time hardware cost. We want users to see value from day one, not just after a break-in.
Q: How scalable will the Ello solution be? Are there plans for integrating other IoT devices and device classes?
Absolutely. ELLO’s architecture was intentionally designed for scale—across devices, use cases, and even industries. While we’re starting with cameras, that’s just the entry point. The platform is built to handle any device that sees or hears.
We’re already looking at integrations with door sensors, baby monitors, and eldercare devices—anywhere situational awareness and contextual understanding matter. Our north star is simple: if it captures data from the environment, ELLO can make sense of it, and talk to you about it.
This isn't just a camera platform. It’s a foundation for intelligent, conversational security across the smart home—and beyond.
Q: You decided to develop the concept for Ello in public, mostly on LinkedIn, while other founders might prefer to develop their ideas in private for years before revealing them. Was there a strategy behind it? Experience? Or is that an expression of your character?
Because silence is overrated.
The founder’s journey is rarely glamorous—and often lonely. My dad’s an entrepreneur too, a successful one, but he rarely spoke about the hard parts. I realized that by sharing openly—failures, pivots, learnings—I could help others avoid the same costly missteps. In startups, time and money are equally scarce; wasted lessons shouldn't be.
And on a more strategic level, I believe good ideas sharpen in daylight. Building in public has brought in invaluable feedback, unexpected connections, and even team members who believed in the mission before there was even a product. Plus, it keeps me honest. When you’re telling your story out loud, there’s no room to hide behind buzzwords.
It’s part reflection, part accountability—and a whole lot of growth.
Q: What’s your timeline ahead—when can we expect to start chatting with our home security system?
If all goes to plan: first units ship early 2026. Beta units should be available end of the year.
But if you want to start the conversation sooner, ELLO’s LinkedIn is always listening.
Product Adopted:Others