IntelligentPOS entrepreneurs open crowdfunding round ahead of Boundary security system launch
Two technology entrepreneurs who sold intelligentPOS to iZettle are unveiling a new fundraising round as they prepare to launch their wireless smart security system.
Robin Knox and Paul Walton are launching a £50,000 (€55,950) fundraising campaign on the Kickstarter crowdfunding website ahead of the public release of their Boundary home security system in March 2020.
Customers can control the Edinburgh-based company’s technology using an app on their mobile phone, bringing security alarms into the arena of Hive central heating controls or Sonos music systems.
Boundary links to the mobile phone network, allowing homeowners to be alerted about intruders even if the criminals cut their phone line and broadband connection. The system, say its creators, “brings neighbourhood watch into the 21st century by giving customers the option to send mobile phone alerts to friends or family living in the area.”
Features include the ability to control the system through digital assistants such as Amazon’s Alexa and Google Home, as well as integrating it with the Philips Hue lighting system, so that lights are switched on automatically if an intruder is detected.
The company has developed its product with experts who designed products for Bosch, Ericsson and Flymo. Product design consultancy i4 has created successful consumer products including Flymo’s UltraGlide lawnmower and T-Mobile’s 3G broadband modem, while the founder of product developer Invent, Design, Build (IDB) has a track record that includes work with Honeywell and Ericsson. Arming and disarming will be through the smartphone app, a traditional alarm keypad or a key fob.
Robin Knox, chief executive at Boundary, says: “I was inspired to create Boundary while I was on my honeymoon in America. I realised that if someone broke into my house while I was away then I could watch them on my security cameras – which were already connected to the internet – but I wouldn’t be able to do anything to stop them.
“Boundary gives homeowners that kind of power, either through systems they can monitor themselves or through a more comprehensive service that’s linked to the police.” The European home security market is forecast to be worth $13.8 billion (€12.3 billion) next year and is growing by 18% annually, with between 800,000 and one million systems being sold in the UK alone each year.
“This is a market that’s ripe for disruption, repeating the success we enjoyed with intelligentPOS,” says Knox. Paul Walton, Boundary’s chief technology officer, adds: “Gone are the days of alarm systems simply being a box with a flashing light stuck onto the side of your house. Criminals are becoming more sophisticated and homeowners need to stay a step ahead.
“Being able to control your home security system in the same intuitive way as your central heating or music player will help to give you the edge over intruders. Boundary can even remind you to set your alarm when you leave the house,” Walton adds.
Boundary is the latest venture from Knox and Walton following the growth over four years and exit from IPOS in 2016. Offering ‘security as a service’, Boundary aims to become the UK’s first provider of smart home security for the mass market. Its smart home security alarm will officially launch in mid-2019 and the company plans to target 100,000 homes in four years with a forecast £6 million (€ 6.7 million) in annual recurring revenues.
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