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§ Private Profile · San Francisco, CA, USA
Zuli is a technology company.
Zuli develops smart home technology through its core product, the Zuli Smartplug. This device allows users to connect and control household lights and appliances, facilitating passive adaptation based on a user's presence within their home. The system utilizes Bluetooth Low Energy for seamless communication, offering functionalities such as dimming, scheduling, and monitoring energy consumption directly via a dedicated application.
The company was founded in 2012 by Ben Chang, Taylor Umphreys, and Sid Bhargava. Their initial insight stemmed from the potential for a home environment to intuitively respond to its occupants, moving beyond simple remote control to intelligent, adaptive living spaces. This vision drove the development of their smart plug ecosystem.
Zuli targets homeowners seeking to integrate intelligence into their living environments, enabling their homes to adjust to their activities and preferences. The company's overarching vision centered on creating a more helpful and responsive home that anticipates needs and streamlines daily routines, ultimately delivering an ambient and effortlessly controlled living experience for its users.
Zuli has raised $2.0M across 1 funding round.
Zuli has raised $2.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Zuli is a San Francisco-based technology company that develops smart home devices, primarily Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) Smartplugs and the Zuli Presence™ system, which automatically adjust lighting, temperature, and other settings based on user presence and preferences.[1][2] These products target consumers seeking intuitive home automation, solving the problem of manual control by enabling smartphone-enabled energy and lighting management without complex setups.[1][3] Zuli serves residential users through major retailers like Lowe’s, Best Buy, and Amazon, achieving rapid market entry within one year of production ramp-up thanks to robust quality control processes.[1]
The company focuses on reliable, easy-to-deploy smart devices that power the smart home ecosystem, emphasizing dimming, on/off control, and personalized adaptations to enhance energy efficiency and comfort.[1][3]
Zuli emerged as a consumer electronics startup in San Francisco, with Taylor Umphreys as Founder and CEO.[1][2] The company developed Bluetooth Low Energy Smartplugs designed for smartphone control of home energy and lighting, positioning it in the early smart home wave.[1][3] A pivotal moment came when Zuli prepared for large-scale production and partnered with Terrace Consulting to build automated testing and quality control programs for offshore manufacturing, ensuring reliable Bluetooth networking, radio board functionality, and full-system validation.[1] This collaboration delivered a proof-of-concept in 3-4 months, enabling Zuli to ship products confidently to major retailers shortly after.[1]
Zuli rides the explosive growth of the smart home market, capitalizing on the shift toward IoT devices that prioritize user-centric automation over hub-dependent systems.[1][3] Its timing aligns with rising consumer demand for energy-efficient, presence-aware tech amid sustainability pushes and smartphone ubiquity, amplified by BLE's low-power advantages for battery-free reliability.[1] Market forces like retail expansion (e.g., Best Buy, Amazon) and offshore manufacturing efficiencies favor Zuli, enabling it to influence the ecosystem by proving scalable, testable smartplugs that lower barriers for home automation adoption.[1][3]
Zuli's foundation in reliable BLE smart devices positions it for expansion into broader IoT integrations, potentially adding AI-driven personalization or voice compatibility as smart home standards evolve. Trends like edge computing and energy regulations will shape its path, amplifying demand for presence-sensing tech. Its influence may grow by powering accessible smart homes, evolving from plugs to full ecosystems—echoing its core mission to intelligently adapt spaces to users.[1][3]
Zuli has raised $2.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $2.0M Seed in August 2014.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 1, 2014 | $2M Seed | — | Accel, ACME Capital, Batalion Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, Bond, Coatue, Crosslink Capital, Evolve VC, Felicis Ventures, Fubu, Homebrew, IVP, Kapor Capital, Kleiner Perkins, Long Journey Ventures, Menlo Ventures, Quiet Capital, The HIT Forge, ThirdLove, True Ventures, Uncorrelated Ventures, UP.Partners, Winklevoss Capital, Bradley Horowitz, David Marcus, Joshua Schachter, Kintan Brahmbhatt, Osama Bedier, Scott Belsky, Shervin Pishevar, Shri Ganeshram, TIM Ferriss, Bill Veghte, DR. Eslambolchi Hossein (applied Physics), GIL Penchina, Jeff Epstein, Joanne Wilson, Kyle York, Mike Dunleavy, Neeraj Agrawal, Pietro Dova, ROB Glaser, Shawn Byers, Stephen Stokols, TIM Draper, DeNA, Logitech, Anthology Fund | Announced |
Zuli has raised $2.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Zuli's investors include Accel, ACME Capital, Batalion Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, Bond, Coatue, Crosslink Capital, Evolve VC, Felicis Ventures, Fubu, Homebrew, IVP.