People’s Champion Finalist: Smarter

Start-up name: Smarter
Founder: Christian Lane
Started in: 2014
Based in: Croydon
Business description: WiFi connected kitchen appliances

Shortlisted categories:

Innovative Business of the Year
Young Entrepreneur of the Year

The Smarter story:

Coming from a nation of tea drinkers it didn’t take long for founder of Smarter, Christian Lane, to decide on a WiFi enabled kettle as his flagship product – and in 2014 he launched the iKettle, which takes “the hard work out of your morning routine” by allowing you to pre-boil the kettle from your smartphone.

Responding to the rapid growth of the Internet of Things (IoT), the kettle isn’t the only appliance in the Smarter canon, with a ‘grind and brew’ coffee machine already on sale and six new products planned for launch in the next 12 months.

Lane’s ambition is to create a truly “connected kitchen”, with products that have the ability to learn and become tailored to the individual users needs. For example, Smarter’s app will be able to wake up the user earlier with fresh coffee if it detects heavy traffic on your route to work.

It’s these intuitive touches that have seen the young entrepreneur win investment on Dragons’ Den, as well as a deal for the company’s products to be listed in Apple stores across Europe. Inspired by simply “making life easier” with software, the future looks bright for Smarter. 

Why Smarter made our 60:

Still in its early stages, this IoT start-up looks set for big things in a rapidly growing market, and is evidence that small British tech firms can compete on the global stage. With impressive retail sales just a year after launch and a host of exciting products in the pipeline, this is definitely one to watch.

Where to find out more about Smarter:

Website: www.smarter.am
Facebook: facebook.com/wifikettle