Seebo Grabs $8.5M To Advance IoT

The acronyms IoT and DIY don’t often go together, what with the Internet of Things‘ slightly more high-tech challenges as opposed to, say, woodworking. However, one Israeli startup thinks that customizing IoT devices can get more retailers in on the game.

TechCrunch reported that Seebo, a Tel Aviv-based startup that works with companies to create personalized IoT devices from scratch, just closed a Series A funding round for $8.5 million. Led by Carmel Ventures and supported by TPY Capital, the funding round now brings Seebo’s total warchest to about $14 million. That should be plenty to grow Seebo’s mission of promoting an accessible design platform that features drag-and-drop functionality on digital blueprints.

“Seebo simplifies the process of making a product smart and allows product companies to leverage their current team so that they don’t need to hire a single new person and can still develop, produce and launch amazing IoT products,” a spokesperson from Seebo told TechCrunch. “Seebo works with product teams that have never developed anything electronic before and also those with many in-house engineers.”

Seebo did not disclose what clients it already has working relationships with, but it did note that its partners range from industries like health and wellness and in-home furnishings to high fashion and sports equipment. The company also touted the broad appeal of its expertless approach to designing the next wave of IoT products; not only are established names with market caps over $1 billion buying from Seebo, but companies extant only in their Kickstarter campaigns have also reached out to the company.

“You can almost think of it as outsourced IoT development,” the spokesperson told TechCrunch.

Many of the world’s largest companies have risen to their lofty positions by clever outsourcing, and if they can get ahead of the IoT revolution with Seebo’s help, the startup might need another round of funding — and fast.