CasaiQ announces name change, high-profile investors in $1.5M round
December 1, 2017 | Bobby Burch
Techstars Kansas City graduate CasaiQ is hoping a new funding round — and new name — will accelerate the development and deployment of its smart home tech.
Led by former Brightergy exec Adam Blake, CasaiQ announced Friday that it raised a $1.5 million round, which includes a handful of local investors. The KCRise fund, Techstars Ventures, Zoloz CEO Toby Rush, ShotTracker co-founder Davyeon Ross, S2 Capital CEO Scott Everett and other undisclosed investors joined in the round.
The firm also announced that it has changed names to become “Zego.”
“The new name – Zego – better represents who we are as we move beyond a smart home solution to more of a digital amenity platform,” Blake said in a release.
Zego has created a platform for apartment owners and managers to offer residents a digital amenity package, including smart home technology. Zego provides a mobile app to residents that enables them to control devices — such as smart locks, thermostats and lights — in their apartments and streamlines interactions with their property manager.
Zego’s property manager portal helps managers to control such devices as door locks and thermostats, helping to increase operational efficiency for maintenance staff and leasing agents.
“Smart homes, integrated services and enhanced user experiences packaged into a platform is a global opportunity over the next five to 10 years,” said Rush, CEO of Kansas City-based Zoloz. “Zego has an early-movers advantage in the U.S. with global scale in its future.”
Blake and Zego recently completed the three-month, mentor-led Techstars Kansas City program. At the program’s October demo day event, Blake announced that Zego had 9,000 apartment units under contract.
Founded in 2017, the company is currently hiring for five positions, including roles in customer service, software engineering and sales.
Featured Business
2017 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Innovation Exchange returns in 2018 with new partners, topics
One of my favorite parts of journalism is the “Hm!” moment. They are the occasions when reading, watching or listening to a story whose details yield an inborn reaction of fascination or intrigue. They can’t be stopped. When your curiosity piqued, “Hmm!” is an impulse. “The SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket produced 5 million pounds of…
Sickweather storms market with overfunded $1M crowdfunding campaign amid flu season
An illness forecaster is never more valuable than when the threat of a widespread virus is high. This year’s severe flu season, however, is only one of the leading contributors to Sickweather’s uptick in interest — and its recent oversubscribed $1 million crowdfunding campaign, said founder Graham Dodge. “We learn a lot every cold and…
Fund Me, KC: Operation Breakthrough hopes to burn into STEM gap with laser cutter
Editor’s note: Startland News is continuing its ‘Fund Me, KC’ feature to highlight area entrepreneurial efforts to accelerate businesses or projects. If you or your startup is running a crowdfunding campaign, let us know by contacting news@startlandnews.com. Today’s featured campaign from Operation Breakthrough spotlights a campaign by the nonprofit childhood development center to boost its…
designWerx makes room for growing makers in North Kansas City
A home garage workspace can be a lonely, stifling place for a maker trying to grow his or her business, said Pam Newton, who is leading the artistic vision for designWerx, a new coworking space and incubator specifically for makers in North Kansas City. “You’re alone constantly. Sometimes it’s hard to get motivated,” she said.…