Swidget
So Much More Than Meets the Eye By Carole VanSickle Ellis It all started when Lowell Misener fell down the stairs and found himself lying on the floor, looking at an electrical outlet that was not doing one thing to help him. Misener, who is co-founder of smart-device maker Swidget along with Swidget president and COO Chris Adamson, got up and got to work, ultimately creating the Swidget outlet and Swidget switch, part of a network of future-proof, modular, smart devices designed to do everything from enhancing homeowner health and wellness to conserving energy and preventing costly power drains on rental homes. “We started out just thinking about how to create an outlet that would provide emergency light during a power outage,” Adamson recalled. “What started as a very humble emergency light has evolved into so much more.” Soon, the two were adding elements to their smart, battery-less nightlight-outlets like USB chargers and eventually air quality sensors, motion detectors, and humidity monitors. By 2018, they were winning awards at tech trade shows like CES and being described as “pretty darn awesome” by industry analysts, and by 2019, the company had been recognized as one of the CES “Techlicious Top Picks” for the year. Homeowners, real estate investors, and soon, real estate developers, were all installing Swidget technology in their properties in order to safeguard assets and optimize prevention and performance. Swidget outlets and switches are wired into homes just like any other traditional wiring device. Their smart “Inserts” draw power from the wiring device, making them wireless and battery-less. Their modular format makes them hassle-free and simple to install for anyone seeking a hardware solution or a data aggregator and contextualization tool. “The easiest way to think about Swidget is that we provide actionable insights through data created by these ubiquitous devices in the home,” Adamson said. He continued, “The hardware enables users to make smart decisions for the betterment of their lives about what is going on in the space in which they live and work.” For a property owner who wishes to make it so, Swidget data can be almost entirely comprehensive, running the gamut from when lights are turned on and off to managing air quality and providing security monitoring when the owner is absent. Swidget has recently also evolved into the aging-in-place space, providing monitoring and reporting options for caregivers that can promptly enact alerts and even life-saving contact and safety measures in the event that a senior resident fails to go about their daily routine or forgets to turn off an appliance like the stove. “We are so much more than meets the eye,” Adamson said. “The breadth of what we can cover is very, very wide.” Providing the Means to Fully Informed Decisions Swidget devices started out as highly practical, easy-to-install tools for improving life in any residence, but it was only a matter of time before the data element of the devices emerged as a powerful asset. The amount of data available from the Swidget devices and sensors soon proved valuable in many market verticals. Optimizing this element of the network for verticals like SFR vacant property protection, for example, is a primary function for Cameron Wilson, CEO of Swidget and early angel investor for the group. “I was in the audience during one of the founders’ first pitches to an Angel Investment Group,” Wilson said. “I have a background in the electrical, electrical distribution, connected home, and audio spaces. I thought the Swidget concept was one of the best I had ever seen.” After getting to know Misener and Adamson and investing in the company, Wilson came on as the company CEO in early 2019. “I am responsible for guiding and financing the strategic direction of the company,” Wilson explained. “We are trying to solve some pretty big problems that investors and property owners face using the hardware and the data from that hardware to help make informed decisions.” Not surprisingly, real estate investors were early adopters of Swidget technology, with landlords and fix-and-flip investors quickly realizing the implications of a device that could not only prevent home disasters like fire, mold, and flooding but that could, in Wilson’s words, “report the occurrence of motion in a vacant home, when there should be no motion.” He added, “This usage was a big surprise to us at first because we had not been involved in the property rental market initially. However, it quickly became a top priority to help rental and real estate companies monitor and indicate the status of what each property currently is compared to what it should be, and provide alerts when there are anomalies.” During the lockdowns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, many property owners adopted self-guided tours in lieu of in-person showings, and this has led to a much higher incidence of rental fraud, squatting and theft in vacant SFR homes. “Through the use of motion sensors and video cameras, we are able to monitor and even collect footage when there is an anomaly and notify the right people to address the issue,” Adamson chimed in. “That is a solution we built out specifically to address the needs of vacant-property owners and it has become part of the overall application of our technologies throughout the life cycle of a property.” Seamless Implementation & Seeking Solutions From the time Misener hit the landing at the bottom of his stairs and glanced over to see the entirely dark outlet that could not support a nightlight thanks to a regional blackout, Swidget’s founders and team members have prioritized seeking solutions to practical issues that may be implemented seamlessly into a resident’s or investor’s life and business. For this reason, many of Swidget’s technology packages are designed with new construction in mind. “We want to offer builders the option to install flexible systems that do not mandate future buyers arrange their lives around their proptech,” said Adamson. “Builders want to offer customers flexibility and custom options for energy savings, smart-home technology,
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