Designing for IoT, a Startup Story

The Goji Smart Lock was a Bluetooth + Wifi connected device that would replace a traditional deadbolt. It provided homeowners the same smart access control that many offices have by turning phones into keycards.

We believed physical keys would soon be a thing of the past. Goji was operated using your phone, both locally via BTLE and over the internet via WiFi. It allowed users to send keys to others via text, and provided the additional security of access logs paired with photos so you always knew who was accessing your home, and when. At the time of its announcement in 2012 it was a novel idea, and timed perfectly with the rise of the Internet of Things, smart home technology, and crowdfunding platforms as a viable seed-funding strategy.

I joined Goji during its pre-funding stage, and developed the positioning and messaging strategy behind our massively successful crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo. The Goji Smart Lock exceeded its goal by 267%, raising a total of $313K. After our Indiegogo campaign we attracted several angel investors, and continued our momentum with preorders on our own website.

After launch, I was part of our product team, wearing many hats as one does at a small seed-stage company. In addition to product marketing + strategy, I implemented and managed our CRM suite, and brought on our first dedicated product designer to streamline our app prototypes into a consumer-grade experience.

The Goji Smart Lock was selected as the Engadget+gdgt "Live in New York" Startup Winner in June 2013, and was a finalist in the Walmart #GetOnTheShelf campaign, landing us a broadcast feature on World News with Diane Sawyer. We were covered and/or reviewed in major media outlets such as USA Today, Techcrunch, Engadget, Gizmodo, cNet, GigaOM, Digital Trends, The Financial Times, and many more. We exhibited at CES and other major tech expos. The social chatter was substantial, with over 7MM social impressions recorded during the crowdfunding campaign alone.

Unfortunately, as a mentor once told me, "Not all start ups start." I parted ways with Goji in Dec 2014 and the company is no longer in operation.