Keen Home, a company with roots in New York University’s Stern School of Business, has been chosen by R/GA for a special program. R/GA, the creator of Nike’s Fuel Band, is offering a three month program for ten tech startups. The intensive, called the Connected Devices Accelerator, aims to bridge digital services and physical products. This is the first year of R/GA’s Connected Devices Accelerator.
The ten startup companies selected for the startup accelerator will receive significant support from R/GA. Each startup will receive workspace in R/GA’s New York Campus, $120,000 in funding from R/GA Ventures, prototyping equipment access, and mentorship from developers and designers at R/GA who have been involved in the development of connected devices. The entrepreneurs at the helm of each startup company will gain access to investors, influencers, leaders, and other entrepreneurs. At the end of the three month intensive, entrepreneurs will present their connected devices at a special event at SXSWi, and they will also present to angel investors, the media, and R/GA clients at a private Demo Day in New York.
Keen Home provides customers with a smart air vent that can be programmed from a computer or mobile device. The company aims to increase the efficiency of a home’s heating and cooling system by allowing home owners to open and close vents to prevent rooms from being over-heated or over-cooled (“over-conditioned”). A more efficient heating system will make home owners more comfortable, and it also has the potential to reduce their heating/cooling energy costs.
Keen Home was previously a finalist in the Stern School of Business $200K Challenge.
