Icontrol Networks and Indiegogo Partner to Drive Connected Living Innovation

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. and SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Connected home leader Icontrol Networks and Indiegogo, the largest global crowdfunding platform, today announced a groundbreaking new partnership to spur smart home device innovation. Connected devices launching on Indiegogo will now have special access to Icontrol's OpenHome Labs incubator program, also announced today. The program includes: hands-on mentoring and resources to guide device startups; a potential base of smart home customers via compatibility with most widely used connected home platform in the industry; and special branding so funders have more confidence in the likelihood for success.

"This is crowdfunding-plus – a way to add a layer of strategic oversight and marketing muscle to startups trying to break into the smart home industry while raising funds," said Bob Hagerty, Chief Executive Officer of Icontrol Networks. "Our partnership with Indiegogo will significantly increase the odds that a crowdfunded device makes it into homes across the country." 

Icontrol OpenHome Labs members launching their Indiegogo campaigns as part of this new partnership include:

• Bttn: An internet-connected physical push button that triggers a pre-defined action or chain of actions. With both tactile and visual feedback, the bttn informs the user that the action was successful and the desired result reached.
• Reemo: A wrist-worn product that offers a fun and powerful new way to control your world. Reemo's intuitive gesture control allows wearers to interact with devices easily, right out of the box.
• Zen: A new connected thermostat that doesn't think it is smarter than you. Zen is incredibly simple to use with a touchscreen and app that allows you to control the temperature of your home from your smartphone.

"This partnership gives us a way to further empower entrepreneurs around the world who want to be a part of the $71B Internet of Things market," added Slava Rubin, founder and CEO of Indiegogo. "We've already been able to democratize the way people raise funds, and now with Icontrol's OpenHome Labs we are setting our entrepreneurs up for long-term success that reaches beyond the close of their funding campaigns."

Icontrol's OpenHome Labs program provides technical assistance, direct market exposure to leading connected home service providers, and branded differentiation. To learn more or apply to OpenHome Labs, visit www.openhome.io/openhomelabs. To view the OpenHome Labs Partner Channel on Indiegogo, visit https://www.indiegogo.com/partners/openhome.

About Icontrol Networks

Icontrol Networks' vision is to provide a connected home solution for every household, so people worldwide spend less time managing their lives and more time living them. Icontrol is making the connected home a reality through its software platforms, which are deployed by home security companies, service providers, retailers, and the all-in-one Piper home security, video monitoring and automation device for consumers. Icontrol is further pioneering the next generation of connected living through its OpenHome™ Developer Program, the first community for application and device makers to partner on a common platform. Venture investors in Icontrol include Charles River Ventures, the Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers iFund, and Intel Capital, with strategic investments from a variety of service providers including ADT, Comcast Ventures, Comporium and Rogers Communications. For more information about Icontrol Networks and Piper visit www.icontrol.com and www.getpiper.com.

About Indiegogo

Indiegogo empowers people around the world to fund what matters to them. As the largest global crowdfunding platform, campaigns have launched from almost every country around the world with millions of dollars being distributed every week due to contributions made by the Indiegogo community. At its core, Indiegogo is an open platform dedicated to democratizing the way people raise funds for any project – creative, entrepreneurial or cause-related. The company was launched in 2008 and is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in Los Angeles and New York. For more information, visit www.indiegogo.com and follow us at www.twitter.com/indiegogo and www.facebook.com/indiegogo.

SOURCE Icontrol Networks