Monday, April 20, 2015
Though small in size, Israel has always been a leader in technology. Volumes have been written on how the successful startup industry stemmed from strong military know-how, which translated into the private technology sector and produced a booming, high-tech economy.
Here is just one example.
SodaStream is an Israeli maker of a consumer home carbonation products founded in 1991. SodaStream is one of the few Israeli consumer brands to gain adoption in dozens of countries.
Sodastream went public on the NASDAQ in 2010. In 2012 SodaStream hired Yves Behar, who designed SodaStream Source. The design earned SodaStream a
Good Housekeeping Institute seal of approval in 2013.
The SodaStream story is rare for Israeli consumer brands. To date, most Israeli high-tech success stories were in defense or commercial software.
Fast forward to 2015. Israeli startups are building consumer hardware brands selling directly to customers. We rounded up eight startups that are building compelling consumer hardware technologies.
PerceptoPercepto was founded by former pilots of the Israel Air Force. Perceto is a hardware add-on for drones that serves as a platform for computer vision apps for drones, enabling developers to build software apps for drones. The Percepto platform currently has available apps for drone photography and precision navigation, more to follow. Percepto
launched on Indiegogo in March.
MetaflowMetaflow developed a breathalyzer for tracing metabolism. The Metaflow breathalyzer packages advanced medical tracking which was previously only available to athletes and medical practitioners at high costs. The applications of the product are both for health — like weight loss — and athletic performance tracking. The founders previously founded Wibiya, which was sold to Conduit for $40M.
SCiOSCiO is a food scanner that connects to a smartphone app and provides nutritional and chemical composition of many foods and medications. The product has been developed for 4 years and attracted $14.5M in venture funding. SCiO launched a Kickstarter campaign and is scheduled to deliver this summer.
ZUtAZUtA created a miniature printer that allows for printing on-the-go with your mobile device. Place ZUtA on a blank page and have your document printed anywhere. ZUtA launched on Kickstarter and was a Best of Innovation honoree in the
2015 CES Innovation Awards.
SensiboSensibo is an ‘open source’-like smart remote for your air conditioning. It connects to any old air conditioning unit and allows you to control it from your smartphone saving on energy costs and convenient. Sensibo made its debut on Indiegogo and is scheduled to deliver its first product in April.
HachkioHachiko built a connected pet sensor. While there are many pet sensors on the market, Hachiko positions it's sensor as the emotional link between pet owner and their pets. Hod Fleishman, the cofounder of Hackio, was also a cofounder of Greenroad.
FellowFellow created a portable luggage platform where your suitcase can follow you automatically,. “Matrix”- style. The first product to be launched will be a dedicated luggage platform; however, their vision is for broader implementation in medical and commercial settings.
OxieOxie developed a wearable device shaped around the neck that purifies the air around the human body to neutralize air pollution. The company is in stealth mode and is participating in the Techstars Sprint accelerator.
Thanks to Ben Lang, Dror Ceder and Hillel Fuld for reviewing the list.