Editor’s note: Homee just raised $5 million from the Founders Fund and is now jumping into the online furniture market. (1 April, 2017)
Homee, the exciting application which acts as a remote control for your home, started as a student project in 2010 and now has its first prototype running. Read more about the smart home solution in the following interview with Jochen.
Tell us about Homee
Our startup is called Codeatelier, and our vision is to provide intelligent software solutions that turn creative ideas into tangible solutions for customers. We aim to create intuitive, user-friendly applications and products like Homee, a virtual clicker for your home.
Homee is both a cool lifestyle gadget and also a smart home solution (IOT device) With Homee, you have your home right at your fingertips and can access and control your home devices anytime and from anywhere. Everybody is now able to make home living more comfortable, more secure and more energy-efficient. For many of us, life just becomes more playful with Homee.
How did you come up with the idea and why did you decide to make a business out of it?
We believe in incorporating digital technology into everyday things. Three years ago we made our first step into this field during our studies. We tried to control a single lamp with our smartphones which suddenly became a student project and also an award-winning Bachelor Thesis. Directly after our studies, we decided to go ahead with this idea and turned our innovation into a business.
You are currently running a crowdfunding project what will you use that money for?
We have a running prototype and are now focusing on finalising the engineering schematics for the final product, developing and iterating the user experience for the apps and developing and documenting the SDK and all API’s. Our next steps are to design the packaging, get the product certifications, design the supply chain process, start tooling, procure the materials and then finally produce!
Are there any other investors behind Homee?
We have tried to be a lean startup which means that we aim to reach important steps as cheaply as possible, which is why we decided to do a Crowdfunding Campaign. We are proud that we currently only have one Business Angel, who has helped us to reach the first milestones. That helps us to focus on our strengths.
Who are your biggest competitors and how do you differentiate?
Although there are hundreds of competitors on this market, with different standards from what makes Hommee stand out from the competitors is its usability: it’s very easy to control, monitor and automate the entire home. Homee is a modular system that can combine different devices, from different manufacturers and even different standards/technologies. And from a financial of view, Homee will be still affordable for everyone.
What are your biggest challenges so far?
The biggest technological challenge is to connect different products with various standards from many manufacturers. This abstraction and understanding for all these technologies is the key point of our know-how.
Which other success stories of startups inspire you?
Nest inspires us as they also connect ordinary devices with the digital world – combining the online experience with the offline.They think about the details and how they can make it better and are very forward and original in their thinking. We are proud to announce that Nest’s great products will be integrated into Homee.
Where do you see Homee by the end of 2014?
One of our aims for 2014 is for Homee to be featured in a famous Christmas gift guide for gadgets or smart home solutions.
How would you convince me to buy Homee within 50 words?
Homee is the simplest and smoothest way to control, monitor and automate your entire home – from all over the world – from your fingertips.