People’s Champion finalist 2016: Smarter

Start-up name: Smarter
Founder: Christian Lane
Started in: 2013 (launched June 2014)
Based in: London
Business description: Wi-Fi enabled kitchen devices

Shortlisted category:

Export Business of the Year, Lean Start-up of the Year 

The Smarter story:

In 2014, entrepreneur Christian Lane started Startups 100-featured Smarter using just £100 cash to create a prototype of the iKettle – a Wi-Fi enabled kettle that can be controlled from your smartphone.

The iKettle product became one of the “most successful pre-orders of all time” on Firebox.com and went on to win listings with John Lewis, Amazon and Apple.

Today, Smarter sells its range in over 500 stores across the UK and nearly 200 in Europe, hitting eight-figure sales in its third year of trading after securing a partnership with Curry’s PC World.

Now the Startups Awards finalist is applying its disruptive technology to an even bigger kitchen appliance – the fridge.

Launching this year, the FridgeCam allows users to see what’s in their fridge when they’re out of the house by connecting to their smartphone. Lane hopes this could go someway to combating the £12bn a year wasted on out-of-date food in the UK.

This is just the start for the innovative company, with plans to introduce an “automated replenishment” software-as-a-service model that will see it partner with major brands to “save time, money and energy”.

Why Smarter made our shortlist:

Smarter continues to innovate and redefine the way we interact with our everyday appliances and it could be on the verge of a growth explosion: a recently secured US partnership will see 300,000 units rolled out internationally, resulting in estimated sales of £40m.

Where to find out more about Smarter:

Website: www.smarter.am
Twitter: twitter.com/WiFikettle