Keen Home, a startup founded by New York University’s Stern School of Business students, was named one of the 16 “Coolest College Startups of 2014” by Inc., a monthly NYC-based publication focused on growing companies. The competition, which is in its 6th year of running, selects winners based on factors like originality, pitch, and growth potential.
Keen Home was started in 2012 by Stern students Ryan Fant (age 29) and Nayeem Hussain (31), both of whom have experience founding companies in the home real estate and property-management space. As described in their pitch for Inc., Keen Home “builds proactive hardware devices aimed to enhance the core functions of the home, so your home can start to take care of you.”
The company is designed to appeal to consumers interested in saving money, conserving energy, and having a more convenient way to manage their home’s HVAC systems. Keen’s first product, the Keen Home Smart Vent, changes how air flows through a home with a user-guided and automated system for opening and closing vents. Last spring the company was awarded a $15,000 grant through NYU’s Green Grants Project to test out their Smart Vent. Recently, Keen Home has signed distribution agreements with major companies including Lowe’s, ADT, and SmartThings. Overseas production is slated to begin this summer, and the company hopes to have products ready to ship and be stocked on store shelves in the fall.
To cast your vote for the coolest college startup, among the list of 16, check out Inc.‘s March Madness-themed tournment. The winner will be announced on April 8th.