Guess what - home security is hot! Google bought Nest to kick off the frenzy, and now investment dollars are flowing freely. For example: Korner's Indiegogo campaign has raised almost $90,000 in 7 days. But despite the elevated profile and the increased investor appetite, one fundamental challenge remains - how do you get home security to those who really need it and can't afford it?. A quick glance at the statistics is very revealing. Home Security adoption is high among affluent homeowners, but drops considerably among mid to lower income homeowners, and renters. And here's the kicker, break-ins rise steadily as you move down the income scale.
"Home security anyone can use and everyone can afford" is how Steve Hollis, CEO of Korner, describes his product - a solution that is incredibly inexpensive (under $100) and amazingly easy to use (install in 2 minutes). So I asked, what inspired Korner? "Home security somehow came up over a dinner conversation" says Steve. "A couple had considered alternatives. They were dual-income, both college educated (one of them Ivey League), renting an apartment and recently had a child. But they couldn't find anything at a reasonable price. So it struck me: if they can't afford home security, WHAT ABOUT EVERYBODY ELSE?!?"
So Steve assembled a team of engineers, and what they produced was brilliant in its simplicity. They compressed the functionality of those old 2-piece door and window sensors into one piece. Not only do these patent-pending sensors work better, they look better too. "What surprised us was the wonderful design flexibility that sprung from this very functional innovation" says Steve. "But from that point forward we made a deliberate decision to focus exclusively on reducing cost and complexity". And so Korner was born.
Consistent with Korner's Anybody-and-Everybody mantra, they have partnered with Domestic Abuse Women's Network (DAWN). "Korner doesn't need any technical aptitude to set up, anyone can do it. Our product allows DAWN to put home security in the palm of a woman's hand, which they can setup within minutes of arriving home from a shelter, when they are often still at risk." A great example of using innovation to make the world a safer place. Korner's Indiegogo campaign currently allows contributors to purchase a Korner on behalf of DAWN.