[August 29, 2005]
Control4 announced it has raised an additional $15 million in private capital after a new funding round led by Foundation Capital. Existing investors Frazier Technology Ventures, Thomas Weisel Venture Partners and vSpring Capital also participated. Adam Grosser, general partner of Foundation Capital, has been appointed to Control4's board of directors. The financing will be used to continue Control4's rapid growth through the development and sale of broad market home automation products. The company had raised about $18 million prior to this round.
These VC firms believe that the market for digital home products is on the verge of explosive growth, and Control4 has the management team, products and market position to take advantage of this important market.
Control4, which began shipping products in April of this year, is the first to deliver 802.15.4 [ZigBee] wireless products that can be retrofitted into any home to provide reliable, cost-effective home control. The company plans to display its home automation products and services at the CEDIA trade show in September, 2005.
The founding team of Control4 has a significant amount of background in home automation arena having been involved in earlier start-ups in this field, including PHAST which brought to market more than 30 electronic control products and an extensive suite of software.
Company Background
Control4 makes home automation and control a practical option for any home by combining technology with wired and wireless networking standards. From home theater control, to complete music and lighting management in every room, Control4 products provide lifestyle benefits previously available only in luxury homes. The company is delivering tomorrow's lifestyle today by providing a new breed of home automation solutions that are affordable, modular and easy to use.
The company is headquartered in Salt Lake City [Utah]. It is privately held.
Founded in 1995, Foundation Capital is a venture capital firm committed to supporting entrepreneurs and their companies, targeting innovative opportunities in telecommunications and networking; Internet infrastructure; and enterprise software. Foundation Capital funds total more than $1.1 billion and include Harvard, Yale, CalTech, the Hewlett Foundation, and MacArthur Foundation as investors.
Frazier Technology Ventures [FTV] is a Seattle-based, early-stage venture capital firm focused on wireless, communications, media and enterprise technologies. The partnership has deep, executive operating background from ATT, CCube, Immunex, LSILogic, Microsoft, RealNetworks, Visio and other successful startups. FTV is part of 13-year-old Frazier Healthcare and Technology Ventures and has more than $1.3 billion in capital under management.
Thomas Weisel Venture Partners [TWVP] is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests in emerging information technology companies. As a partner with a long-term perspective, TWVP plays an active role in helping entrepreneurs turn ideas into sustainable businesses. TWVP portfolio companies benefit from the knowledge, energy and resources of the TWVP team and from TWVP's commitment to working with management to build industry-leading companies. TWVP was founded in 2000 in partnership with Thomas Weisel Partners, a San Francisco-based merchant bank, and is located in E. Palo Alto, Calif.
vSpring is a traditional early-stage venture capital firm with more than $180 million of committed capital under management. The firm specifically targets information technology and life sciences companies headquartered in the Intermountain West region. Its primary areas of focus include enterprise software, networking and communications, security software, Internet, mobile computing, drug discovery, drug delivery, diagnostics, and medical devices, all markets where the firm has deep experience.
MaxStream Unveils ZigBee-Ready Stand-Alone Radios
MaxStream, a provider of wireless device networking solutions, has unveiled its stand-alone XBee-PRO radios that allow for quick connections to both RS-232 and USB enabled devices supporting the ZigBee and 802.15.4 standards. The stand-alone XBee-PRO radio is completely compatible with networks operating on XBee and XBee-PRO technology and includes a durable aluminum housing, 2.1 dBi dipole antenna and the choice of an RS-232 or USB connection.
The 2.4 GHz XBee-PRO stand-alone radio features the 100 mW [EIRP] XBee-PRO RF module, which is capable of transmitting up to 0.9 miles [1.4 km] in line-of-sight conditions. Communicating at up to 250 Kbps, the XBee-PRO is ZigBee-ready and will be upgradeable to the latest ZigBee compliant networking protocol as it becomes available.
The key features of this product include:
Long Range ZigBee
Up to 4000' (1200 m) range (RF line-of-sight, @ 250 kbps)
Up to 300' (100 m) range (indoor/urban environments, @ 250 Kbps)
100 mW EIRP power output
-100 dBm receiver sensitivity
Power-down current reaches below 10 µA
Flexible Ad-hoc Networks
ZigBee protocol allows mesh networking topologies
Peer-to-peer, point-to-point, point-to-multipoint and multidrop networking
16 channel DSSS with over 65,000 available network addresses
2.4 GHz frequency band
Easy-to-Use
Worldwide agency approvals (FCC, IC, ETSI)
Serial UART interface
Network compatible with other ZigBee devices
Interchangeable with the XBee module
Antenna Options
Chip antenna: U.FL RF connector (connects to RPSMA-type antennas)
Wire antenna
Both the RS-232 and USB radios [part numbers XBP24-PKI-001-RA & XBP24-PKI-001-UA] are now available for purchase directly from MaxStream for $100 each with volume discounts available.
MaxStream is a developer of wireless modem networking for electronic devices. MaxStream provides wireless modem modules, stand-alone radio modems, RF design services, and supporting software. Specifications are subject to change at any time. Products and services by MaxStream include designing, manufacturing and supporting wireless communications for embedded systems.
The ZigBee Alliance is an association of companies working together to enable reliable, cost-effective, low-power, wirelessly networked, monitoring and control products based on an open global standard. The ZigBee Alliance is a rapidly growing, non-profit industry consortium of leading semiconductor manufacturers, technology providers, OEMs, and end-users worldwide.
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