DC Tech Startups Showcase Innovations for the Connected Lifestyle Meetup
How’d you like to reduce your energy consumption by up to 75 percent each month? Turn your TV viewing into a truly social experience involving family and friends? Or manage your everyday access needs using social and business networks to interact with buildings, businesses and public places?
These are just a few samples of what tech startups in the District of Columbia are working on when it comes to innovating for the connected home and lifestyle. And some startups like Brivo Labs, Kovue and Ottomate took the stage at the Verizon/Fosterly meetup on Aug. 21 at The Willard in D.C. to share their experiences, exchange ideas, and network with Verizon executives, fellow entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and strategic investors.
"Get yourself out there, try it, gain experience, and don't be afraid to fail" -- Nate Scott, Director of Corporate Development at Brivo Labs
Brivo Labs is an Internet of Things company leading the emerging social access management market and that uses social identities to develop innovative applications that connect virtual communities with physical spaces.
Kovue is a social television platform that promises to be a major disruptive force in the TV viewing/video entertainment space over the next five years. It drastically changes how people watch TV and turns it into a real-time social TV viewing experience involving family and friends by combining social networking elements and live TV programming.
And Ottomate, the brainchild of a 17-year-old whiz kid and entrepreneur, is a new home-automation brand that learns users’ habits in two weeks in order to reduce their energy consumption.
During the Verizon/Fosterly meetup, attendees could visit a hands-on interactive tech demo lounge that featured innovative connected-home devices like the Oculus Rift, Phillips Hue lighting system and Sonos Sound System.
Attendees also could play games via the Livecube platform and Twitter and compete for prizes such as a Sonos Play:1, Parrot MiniDrone Jumping Sumo, Belkin WeMo Switch, Leap Motion and Philips Hue Starter Kit. In addition, attendees could consult with Andrew Der, who focuses on strategic marketing and business development for Verizon Ventures, and Adam Zuckerman, co-founder of Fosterly.
