Robin, A Company Enabling Sensor-Powered “Smart” Offices, Raises $1.35 Million

Robin, a “software layer for office buildings,” has raised $1.35 million. Imagine walking into a room, having it recognize you, then customize itself to your particular preferences. That’s not the future – it’s happening now thanks to an up-and-coming startup called Robin which uses iBeacon and BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) devices to detect nearby people and things.

Designed for use in the workplace, Robin can automate conference room bookings just by you walking into a room. And after you enter, it can also update the screens in the room and the nearby devices, to give you control.

Founded earlier this year, Boston-based Robin is today announcing seed funding from Atlas Venture, Deep Fork Capital, and Boldstart Ventures – funding that will allow the company to continue product development, grow the number of its Robin-powered offices, and do a small amount of hiring.

Robin was spun out from Sam Dunn’s, and his twin brother Zach Dunn’s, earlier company One Mighty Roar, an agency that did work for brands like Budweiser, Facebook, and Chipotle. That company was self-funded and profitable since 2009, but this year the 15-person team switched its focus to Robin, now its own company. Robin’s co-founding team also includes other One Mighty Roar partners, Brian Muse (CTO) and Apollo Sinkevicius (COO).

Explains Sam, “we did a lot of digital at events with brands starting in 2011. We originally latched on to the idea of ‘signing into the real world’ with RFID wristbands.” Those bands could be associated with digital accounts like Facebook at events and concerts, allowing guests to swipe their disposable wristband at photo booths, survey areas, and other venues, he says. When Bluetooth LE came about, the team wanted to make the shift from RFID bands to a software-only play, which is how the idea for Robin got off the ground.

With Robin, the idea is to charge businesses anywhere from $100 to $1,000 per month, depending on the number of zones (areas and rooms) they’re tracking. A free tier for just a couple of zones will also be made available this fall.

In order to get stated, users have to install the Robin app on their iOS or Android phone so the spaces can identify them. As for hardware, only beacons are required – with one beacon covering a zone of up to 30 meters. An accompanying dashboard provides an office-wide overview and analytics for the Robin-powered rooms. And as more connected devices are added to the workplace, Robin can be customized to control them as well, including things like Chromecast, smart thermostats, lights, and more.

The company is now preparing to launch the first of its Robin-powered offices with a limited number of beta test participants, including a floor in News Corp., Blade (from Kayak co-founder Paul English), and plans to add a couple more co-working spaces every other week throughout the summer. The summer pilot program now has about 20 locations signed up, says Sam, while the wider release for this fall currently has a wait list that’s just shy of 100 offices.

Robin is currently accepting sign-ups for its wait list here.