7 NYC hardware startups transforming everything from headphones to art
NYC has established itself as a hub for all things tech — and now it seems to be coming for hardware. The city is home to a number of startups transforming industries like art, home security, music and more. See how they’re merging software and hardware to give people a smart, interactive experience.
To make it easier for people to find locally-sourced mushrooms, Smallhold is nourishing a collection of local growing sites. From restaurants to grocery stores, Smallhold features various mini-farms that connect consumers to fresh mushrooms. The company also shares grow kits, cookbooks, and its mushroom selection online, allowing wider audiences to enjoy truly local products.
Security is always a concern when you share an apartment building with a number of tenants. Latch, a keyless entry system, can be installed in modern buildings to provide smarter access and safety. The technology keeps a log of everyone who has entered the building, and notifies residents when a guest arrives. It was founded in 2014 and has raised a total of $26 million to-date.
Smart homes are efficient and practical — not to mention, they’re just cool. Wink lets you connect all of the IoT devices in your home, so everything from your lights to your stereo are in sync. Using the app, you can manage each of the devices in one spot and set up commands in line with your daily routine.
BREAKFAST bridges the gap between technology and art. The Brooklyn-based studio brings together artists, designers and engineers of all kinds to make thoughtful, inspiring pieces. Its installations include a kinetic directional sign that displays information on events happening nearby, as well as a mission control display that shows a live stream of every baseball field in the MLB. Its interactive pieces are meant to entertain and spark curiosity.
Despite the fact that everyone hears sounds differently, headphones have always been designed with a one-size-fits-all approach. EVEN makes tech-enhanced headphones that adjust sounds to a person’s “ear print.” Listeners complete an AI-powered hearing test with the headphones, which then deliver frequencies accordingly. The company has raised $4.7 million to-date and plans to expand beyond headphones and into other devices that you can use around the home and in the car.
Canary takes home surveillance to a smarter level. The technology allows users to see what’s happening in or around their home when they’re not there. Here’s how it works: Users position the hardware in a designated spot inside their home. Using the associated app, they can tap into the camera at any time and see what’s going on. Canary gets even smarter over time and adapts to your routine — if it senses you’re not home, it will go into “away” mode and notify you of any detected movement.
It’s not just the inside of your home that could afford to be smarter. Lono connects a series of devices that help you manage your outdoor space. Its portfolio of products includes a WiFi-enabled sprinkler controller, an outdoor smart plug and a soil moisture sensor that work together to keep your yard healthy even when you don’t have time to care for it yourself.