Garageio

Garageiorori
Type of businessPrivate
Founded2012
HeadquartersColumbus, Ohio
Key peopleZak Dziczkowski
(Co-Founder, CEO)
Dave Reif
(Co-Founder)
IndustryInternet of Things
Employees4 [citation needed]
ParentAlottazs Labs LLC
URLgarageio.com
Native client(s) oniOS, Android

Garageio is a smart home garage door controller created by Alottazs Labs, LLC headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Alottazs Labs, LLC is a privately held company founded in October 2012. Garageio is an Internet of Things product providing managed garage and gate access via a smartphone and other web-enabled devices.[1][2]

Garageio consists of a WiFi enabled control hub which attaches to the garage door opener and controlled through the Garageio mobile or desktop application.[3] The control hub can connect up to three separate garage doors from the same device.[4][5]

The Garageio iOS and Android application allows the user to remotely manage each connected garage door independently.[6] The user can also grant and accept access to other garage doors from other Garageio users.[7]

History

[edit]

The idea for Garageio began in 2012 when co-founder Zak Dziczkowski discovered his garage door remote was missing.[8] Zak soon discovered that the replacement cost for a new remote was too expensive and envisioned a better way to control the garage door. That same night Zak called co-founder Dave Reif and together they began to work on the Garageio prototype.[9][10]

2012

[edit]

In October 2012, Garageio became a product of Alottazs Labs, LLC bringing aboard additional co-founders, entrepreneur Greg Colarich, creative designer Jess Boonstra, and marketer Zach Cochran.[11]

2013

[edit]

Garageio spent the early part of the year focusing on application development and product design. Garageio was the recipient of the Cool Idea! Award by Minnesota-based plastic manufacturer Proto Labs which provided gratis prototype casings and a subsequent production run of parts.[12][13] In November 2013, Garageio launched a successful crowd-funding campaign through Fundable raising $30,000 in pre-order sales.[14]

2014

[edit]

Garageio began shipping early in 2014 to its early crowd-funding backers and continued to take orders through its website. Garageio released an updated version of the application and announced additional platform integrations such as IFTTT (if this than that), which allows users to create recipes that trigger customized events.[15][16][17] Garageio IFTTT recipes include events such as if it rains then close my garage or if I leave my house close my garage.[18] Garageio increased its manufacturing network and continued to ship throughout North America.

2015

[edit]

Garageio was one of the first recipients of the Alexa Fund, a fund by Amazon.com to support startups on voice control technology.[19] As such, Garageio will be one of the first smart home devices that will be controllable with the Amazon Echo.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Garageio brings smarts to your garage door (hands-on)". CNET. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  2. ^ "DIY Resolution: Improve Home Security This Year". Fox News. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  3. ^ "Open source the Smart Home:Cure app fatigue". SiliconANGLE. 4 November 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  4. ^ "Garageio Takes Your Garages to Smart, Intelligent Territory". Device Magazine. Archived from the original on 1 February 2015. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  5. ^ "Garage Doors Jacksonville FL". Archived from the original on 2021-09-30. Retrieved 2021-09-23. Thursday, September 23, 2021
  6. ^ "AT&T Digital Life expands to more US cities, gains a garage-door controller". CNET. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  7. ^ "Control your garage door opener from your smartphone with Wi-Fi connected Garageio". TechSpot. 4 November 2013. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
  8. ^ "CEO Zak Dziczkowski: Frustrated shopper co-founds garage door remote business". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 2017-10-11.
  9. ^ "Smartphone-based garage-door opener Garageio getting trial run". BizJournal. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  10. ^ "Frustrated shopper co-founds garage door remote business". Columbus Dispatch. Archived from the original on 14 April 2015. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  11. ^ "Garageio + the business possibilities in the Internet of Things (IoT)". Silicon Angle. 23 January 2014.
  12. ^ "Proto Labs Wants to Help You Create a Cool Prototype for Free". Entrepreneur Magazine. 18 December 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  13. ^ "Proto Labs Helps Open Doors for Latest Cool Idea! Award Winner" (Press release). Business Wire. 18 December 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  14. ^ "Alottazs Labs starts shipping Garageio smartphone garage door controllers after raising $30K". BizJournal. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  15. ^ "IFTTT updated with new channels plus optimizations for iOS 8 and iPhone 6". appadvice.com. 26 October 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  16. ^ "IFTTT compatible hardware: 25 devices to recipe your life". Pocket-lint. 7 May 2015. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  17. ^ "IFTTT Garageio Recipes". Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  18. ^ Ghose, Carrie (June 25, 2015). "Amazon invests in Columbus startup with debut of Alexa Fund". Columbus Business First.