Premiere Kansas City startup acquired by Texas-based IoT leader in proptech industry

The acquisition of Crossroads-built Homebase by Lone Star State smart home innovator Quext brings together two of the most disruptive companies in the space, said Blake Miller, founder of the premiere Kansas City startup.

The move — creating a single source for multifamily operators to get the best-in-class smart community and managed WiFi solutions their residents request — also means a timeline jump for Homebase, a staple of the local startup community.

“This acquisition represents a significant leap forward for our development roadmap, bringing a substantial boost to our infrastructure and a tremendous opportunity to elevate our level of customer service for property managers and residents,” said Miller, founder of Homebase and now chief product officer at Quext. “Together, we’re poised to enhance the value and profitability of buildings while ensuring a seamless transition and a brighter future for our valued customers.”

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What is Homebase?

Homebase is a smart building technology platform that drives connectivity and communication for multi-tenant communities. By connecting smart home devices — access control, lighting, lock hardware and software, thermostats — as well as automated building systems through a building-wide WiFi and Bluetooth Mesh network, we help property managers give residents the modern, sophisticated living experience they desire while making management simple and seamless.

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Financial details of the acquisition were not immediately available.

The two organizations and platforms will continue to independently grow their products, so that each customer base continues to reap the benefits of their ever-innovating product sets, while working quickly to evolve into a best-in-class single-user experience in the future, according to a press release from Homebase and Quext.

Founded in 2016, Homebase — an alum of the Kansas City-based T-Mobile Accelerator and one of Startland News’ Kansas City Startups to Watch — is a local and national leader in the smart home space, consistently lauded for its innovative solutions and healthy workplace. Miller was named the No Coast Tech Connector of the Year by the KC Tech Council in 2020.

This unified platform will enable customers to choose from Quext’s unique LPWAN-based network with an embedded thermostat hub, a Homebase-style hub-less WiFi network solution, or a redundant path combination of these services. 

“Today’s residents expect the latest in smart technologies, presenting an opportunity for apartment owners to not only meet the evolving needs of their residents but also achieve substantial income growth from their investments,” said Dave Marcincowski, partner at Quext. “By harnessing the combined strengths of Quext and Homebase, we’re poised to deliver the most comprehensive smart community solutions available in the market while advancing our mission to set a new standard for excellence in the multifamily space.”

Homebase team 2023

Quext’s acquisition of Homebase brings operators a comprehensive suite of features and solutions in what will soon become a unified user experience, the company said, noting this provides greater flexibility and agility for a diverse range of property scenarios related to new constructions, retrofits, network requirements, edge hardware complexity and capital budget availability.

“With the addition of Homebase’s CEO Blake Miller as our new chief product officer, we’re reinforcing Quext’s commitment to driving operational efficiencies for our customers, expanding on solutions designed specifically for multifamily, rather than adapted to multifamily,” said said Dave Gilles, CEO of Madera Companies, a key financial backer of Quext and an industry leader in multifamily housing investment and property management.

Click here to learn more about Quext.