The Munich-based startup ComfyLight has developed an intelligent LED lamp for the smart home. A practical and simple solution for making your home more secure.
The young company was founded by Stefanie (36) and Marcus (30). The two met at the University of St. Gallen. She has a background in economics, while he has always been a passionate computer scientist. What was originally intended to be a doctorate in Switzerland quickly evolved into the joint idea for ComfyLight and its implementation. The focus is on intrusion detection.
The lamp is linked to the user's smartphone via an app and sounds an alarm if an unexpected or uninvited guest is in the house. The exciting thing about the LED lamp is the integration of various sensors; the most important of these is the motion sensor. ComfyLight The convenience of automatic lighting when you're at home: The light automatically switches on and off when you enter or leave a room. The ComfyLight simulates exactly the same movement behavior when you're not at home. This makes your cozy home appear occupied from the outside and therefore less attractive to burglars.
Crowdfunding goal reached after just a few hours
To realize their idea, Stefanie and Marcus decided to launch a crowdfunding campaign, knowing full well that it would involve a lot of work:
"A campaign like this isn't without risk—even if no one buys the product, the negative outcome will be visible forever. Kickstarter campaigns can't be deleted retroactively."
From October to December 2015, the founding team worked hard to successfully complete the campaign while simultaneously refining the product.
On January 22, 2016, the time had come. ComfyLight was available on Kickstarter. The initial target of 50,000 euros was reached within less than seven hoursBy the following month, backers had been found for nearly 2,000 ComfyLights. The effort was paying off.
In good company in Munich
The ComfyLight is scheduled to be available starting in March 2017; development of the first series is complete. Kickstarter backers will, of course, be the first to call this highly sought-after product their own. The smart lamp has been ordered from over 50 countries.
After the launch, the focus will be primarily on business in Germany and Switzerland. ComfyLight is already in discussions with various distribution partners.
Since the young company's origins lay in Switzerland, as already mentioned, there were many reasons for building a Munich team. Despite comparatively high salaries, the founders found it difficult to find enthusiastic software developers. Like many other startups in Zurich, they had to contend with competition from Google, Facebook, and others, says Marcus. In Munich, however, it was easier to build a suitable development team.
"Furthermore, Munich clearly stands for the focus on startups in the Internet of Things (IoT) sector in Germany. tado, Bragi, eGym, and ProGlove are just four of the highly successful players. It's fun to enrich each other, even more so when meeting for a real Munich wheat beer,"
says co-founder Marcus. We can only agree.
Anyone interested in the clever LED can pre-order now on the ComfyLight website and make their home a little smarter.
