The Austrian startup Nuki is receiving a 7-digit sum in a seed investment round. Around € 2 million are available for the further growth of the company that was able to raise a total of € 385,524 in May 2015 during a Kickstarter campaign. The Nuki Smart Lock is a simple-to-install system that works with European door cylinders. It allows home locks to be opened and closed automatically by Smartphone. Nuki can be controlled via Bluetooth and WiFi.
The Nuki System consists of the Nuki Smart Lock, the Nuki Bridge and optionally the Bluetooth Nuki Fob key ring. The core is a cylinder made of bead-blasted aluminium, which visually connects the door cylinder and the Nuki Smart Lock. Nuki can also be operated by pressing the button on the front of the cylinder. An LED light ring emphasis the cool style of the elegant housing. The cylinder is easy to turn by hand and consequently the lock can be locked and unlocked manually without using the motor. The operation is convenient using an App (Android & iOS). Access rights can be easily and safely assigned on the smartphone and there is no need to remember annoying numerical codes. The door lock status can also be viewed via the Smartphone – lost Smartphones can be deactivated at any time.
After the completion of the financing round, the Nuki founders continue to hold the clear majority of the company. “We are very happy that we will be financing the next phase of the company’s development with two strategic partners. The fact that Aquis Sanitär AG is on board as our industrial partner confirms the Nuki setup and gives us an ideal environment for the expected growth,” explains Martin Pansy, Nuki CEO. Among the financial backers are the existing investor Up to Eleven, Venta Beteiligungs GmbH, Aquis Sanitär AG and aws Austria Wirtschaftsservice GesmbH.
The company has been taking pre-orders since August 2015. Nuki Home Solutions was founded in Graz in 2014 by Up to Eleven, a company builder for mobile products of the future. The Nuki Smart Lock costs € 199. The Nuki Combo, consisting of a Nuki Smart Lock and a corresponding Bridge costs € 279. The price for the Nuki Bridge is € 99, and the Bluetooth Nuki Fob costs € 39. Delivery is planned for May/June 2016.
