Danger's cofounder Joe Britt has taken the wraps off his latest brainchild, Afero, an Internet of Things (IoT) startup that promises to bring improved connectivity and security for smart devices.
For the unfamiliar, Britt is the man behind mobile maker Danger, which was snapped up in 2008 by Microsoft for $500 million.
On Wednesday, Dec, 16, Britt unveiled Afero in tandem with former employees of Nest, Apple and Google. With Afero, the veterans are looking to tap into the lucrative market for the IoT.
"We firmly believe that 2016 will be the year that begins to connect the world — not just the home," said Britt. "Bringing new intelligence to products and services that reach billions of people will change lives in ways we can't yet imagine."
In order to achieve that, however, Britt said that they would need a platform that is not only advanced, but also wide-ranging and of course secure.
"That's what we created with Afero," Britt said.
Afero will operate on the philosophy of developing a software and hardware, which will simplify the management of devices that connect to the Internet. These devices can be as diverse a range as cars to lights.
The startup is looking to remove the hassles of figuring out IoT connectivity layers for developers so that they can channel all their attention and focus their energies on the main functionalities of the smart device instead.
Currently, the team comprises 42 employees who have been instrumental in building Afero furtively since April 2014. Afero also has 50 patents to its credit and has partnered with Qualcomm and Infocom.
Afero is confident that its end-to-end encryption will help tighten security for several products that have so far been susceptible to hacking.
Afero will also be retailing a Bluetooth Low Energy connectivity module which developers can incorporate into their product. This will enable the transmission of data over networks. The company is optimistic that its module will help reduce the immediate costs for developers and herald a new beginning for connected devices.
