Wearables
A category of wrist, body, and head-mounted devices that we have previously looked into. Most of the companies in this subset of IoT are makers of consumer fitness bands and smart watches. Other products in this area include more specialized infant wearables (Owlet and Sproutling), smart apparel made by Lumo and OMsignal, as well as advanced biometric sensors like Thync‘s mood-elevating head-mounted wearable.
Connected Home
The connected home category encompasses everyday devices such as August and Lockitron‘s connected door locks, and Ring‘s doorbell system.
Infrastructure and Sensors
Companies here are are building out the networks and developing physical sensors that will undergird the Internet of Things. mCube and Valencell are sensor developers, and Ineda Systems makes SoCs (systems-on-a-chip) for IoT and wearable applications. Jasper and Arrayent provide cloud-based platforms for storing and harnessing the data from connected networks.
Healthcare
IoT startups in the healthcare space range from consumer-friendly tech like Kinsa‘s smart thermometer, all the way to clinical-grade sensors such as Quanttus‘ wearable patient monitor.
Smart Utilities & Energy
Startups in this map area develop tech that enables more efficient use of water and electricity. Rachio and Banyan Water, for instance, make systems for water and irrigation usage. Companies like Enlighted use connected hardware for optimizing electricity and HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) usage.
Industrial IoT (IIoT)
A fast-growing subspace of the IoT, the industrial IoT aims to create networks that are tailored to asset-heavy industries such as manufacturing, logistics, mining, and agriculture. Tachyus and GroundMetrics, for example, make sensor systems for the oil and gas industry. Similarly, Worldsensing and Eigen Innovations offer data solutions tailored to heavy industry.
UAV / Drone
As they grow increasingly autonomous, drones will provide new and complementary sources of data to IoT-powered systems. Skycatch, for example, employs UAVs to capture data for the rendering of construction sites in 3D. Consumer drones like those manufactured by DJI Innovations, 3D Robotics, and Yuneec were also well-represented.
Connected Car
The connected car category is a large space in its own right that we’ve detailed in greater depth, but notable startups like Metromile are using the IoT to transform car insurance by creating a new type of “per-mile” usage-based insurance premium. Other companies like Zubie and Automatic market devices that capture data and allow drivers to track and improve driving habits along with APIs for third-party services built on top of the device and software.
Retail Tech
Startups here are using connected devices to improve the retail experience. Estimote and Cloudtags use connected sensors and mobile apps for a more interactive shopping experience. Theatro makes an enterprise wearable for retail and hospitality workers. And Momentum Machines is developing robots to automate food production.
