CasaiQ announces name change, high-profile investors in $1.5M round

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.