Emerging Vendors 2017: IoT Startups You Need To Know

IoT's Newest Vendors To Watch Out For

As more devices become connected the channel is seeing a significant shift in the types of vendors they need to work with to wire, connect and collect data from these devices.

A new breed of vendors are emerging in the networking and Internet of Things market, who are building their practices around keeping up with networking, analytics and security challenges and opportunities as more devices come online.

And luckily for the channel, many of these startups realize that they need the vertical market expertise and customer relationships that partners on the front lines have, and are actively looking to build up channel programs.

As part of CRN's 2017 Emerging Vendors list, here are 34 hot IoT startups, all founded in 2011 or later, that solution providers should be aware of.

Afero

Founded: 2014

Top Executive: Joe Britt, Founder, CEO

Afero, whose platform brings secure connectivity to IoT for enterprises and smart homes, addresses challenges facing the IoT industry, including security and interoperability. The company's platform is built to power the enterprise IoT market and has layers of security embedded throughout, including built-in authentication to the cloud.

Ananse

Founded: 2015

Top Executive: Simon Koo, Founder, CEO

Ananse touts an IoT platform that allows customers to virtually connect their smart devices with social media. The platform, which is currently being utilized by Facebook, Nest and Amazon Alexa, also enables users to add logic and intelligence to their automated workflows.

Argus Cyber Security

Founded: 2013

Top Executive: Ofer Ben-Noon, Co-Founder, CEO

Argus focuses primarily on automotive cybersecurity, with modular and multilayered security offerings for connected cars, including in-vehicle network protection and protection for brakes, door control units and advanced driver assistance systems. Argus also offers threat analysis, risk assessment, vulnerability analysis and code review services for manufacturers.

Armis

Founded: 2015

Top Executive: Yevgeny Dibrov, Co-Founder, CEO

Armis offers an agentless platform that lets enterprises see and control any device or network. The platform gives enterprises complete visibility into which devices are in their environment and stops devices from connecting to an inappropriate network, regardless of whether they are managed by IT or not.

Aspenta

Founded: 2011

Top Executive: Walid Moneimne, Founding Partner, CEO

Aspenta specializes in remote car tracking IoT technology through its Vectu lineup, a series of consumer and enterprise location devices to track people and belongings. The company also offers a customizable IoT platform, myAspenta, as well as remote gateways, data and machine-to-machine SIM cards.

Augury

Founded: 2011

Top Executive: Saar Yoskovitz, Co-Founder, CEO

Augury makes diagnostic technology that physically captures machines' unique acoustic fingerprints, analyzes the data, and finds any potential malfunctions before they happen. Augury's handheld device listens to machines and enables analysis capabilities on critical operational technology like pumps, fans, chillers and HVAC systems.

Bastille

Founded: 2014

Top Executive: Chris Risley, CEO

Bastille uses security sensors, software and airborne emission detection to create an enterprise-grade IoT security product that scans an organization's air space for threats. This allows enterprises to detect, localize and assess security risks by scanning air space to give visibility into every emitting device on premise.

Bayshore Networks

Founded: 2013

Top Executive: Mike Dager, CEO

Bayshore Networks provides cloud-based software to help protect industrial enterprises against internet-based cyberattacks. Bayshore's cloud-based software, called the Bayshore IT/OT Gateway, provides IT departments with visibility into operational technology infrastructure, networks, applications, machines and workers.

BKON Connect

Founded: 2014

Top Executive: Richard Graves, Co-Founder, CEO

BKON is changing the customer engagement game with its cloud-based platform, Phy.net, released over the summer. The platform makes it easy for retailers, marketers and other small-business owners to create and manage a physical Web presence. BKON also creates beacons and the services attached to the hardware.

Claroty

Founded: 2014

Top Executive: Amir Zilberstein, Co-Founder, CEO

Claroty offers protection for granular operational technology network elements in industrial workplaces. The company enables engineers to protect their OT networks through its platform, which includes monitoring and management for factory floors. Claroty's team is led by pioneers in OT and IT cybersecurity.

CyberX

Founded: 2012

Top Executive: Omer Schneider, Co-Founder, CEO

CyberX's flagship offering is its XSense platform, which is comprised of a dashboard for managing alerts so that customers have greater control of their industrial operations. The platform helps customers use machine learning and modeling to detect attacks in real time and reduce operation downtime.

Davra Networks

Founded: 2011

Top Executive: Paul Glynn, CEO

Davra Networks' RuBAN platform takes the data generated from IoT objects and presents it in a way that is easy for customers to consume and visualize, making it easy for solution providers to rapidly deploy IoT applications using a single platform.

Droplit

Founded: 2014

Top Executive: Preston Tesvich, Co-Founder, COO

Droplit offers out-of-the-box support for home automation that helps put all of users' end devices into a single interface. This platform is based around a wireless hub, which includes a box plugging into an outlet, and connects to the internet via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

Evrythng

Founded: 2011

Top Executive: Niall Murphy, Co-Founder, CEO

IoT startup Evrythng touts a platform enabling companies to manage their data and track their connected devices by assigning digital identities to products. Evrythng has partnered with packaging companies like WestRock and Crown Holdings, allowing them to track their products through the supply chain.

Filament

Founded: 2012

Top Executive: Allison Clift-Jennings, CEO

Filament offers a decentralized IoT software stack that utilizes the bitcoin blockchain to enable devices to hold unique identities on a public ledger -- so that they can securely communicate. On the hardware side, Filament offers low-power nodes to connect existing machinery and industrial infrastructure to the network.

FogHorn Systems

Founded: 2014

Top Executive: David C. King, CEO

FogHorn Systems provides offerings for OEMs, systems integrators and customers in vertical markets through its software platform, which carries machine learning to the on-premise edge environment to prevent catastrophic failures in machines like industrial pumps or wind turbines.

Helium

Founded: 2013

Top Executive: Amir Haleem, Founder, CEO

Helium touts an IoT connectivity offering that simplifies the process of securely capturing -- and transmitting -- data. The company's most recent product suite includes low-power long-range offerings for IoT devices that enable users to easily prototype, deploy and scale wireless networks that connect thousands of end devices.

Indegy

Founded: 2014

Top Executive: Barak Perelman, Co-Founder, CEO

Indegy said it has developed the first cybersecurity platform that protects industrial control systems used in critical infrastructures and manufacturing industries. This platform gives customers visibility into the control-plane engineering processes performed in operational technology networks so operators can monitor all controllers on networks and protect against cyberattacks.

IoTium

Founded: 2015

Top Executive: Ron Victor, Founder, CEO

IoTium provides secure, scalable network infrastructure for the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). The company's Network as a Service solution securely connects legacy on-site systems to cloud-based applications, allowing mission-critical environments to safely realize the promise of Industry 4.0.

K4Connect

Founded: 2013

Top Executive: Scott Moody, Co-Founder, CEO

K4Connect uses the power of IoT to help senior citizens and individuals living with disabilities. The company's solution, K4Community, is designed to connect senior living communities and improve living situations for seniors. The company's IoT platform also enables users to track their health and fitness.

Karamba Security

Founded: 2015

Top Executive: Ami Dotan, Co-Founder, CEO

Karamba Security promotes security for autonomous platforms by focusing on the externally connected electronic control unit in cars. The company's autonomous security offering works by sealing connected cars' electronic control units according to factory settings to prevent intrusions and attacks.

Lexumo

Founded: 2015

Top Executive: Dan McCall, CEO

Lexumo focuses on IoT security. The company offers a cloud-based service that enables customers to search open-source code in the background and detect any vulnerabilities. This service can be used to secure IoT devices.

LitBit

Founded: 2013

Top Executive: Scott Noteboom, Founder, CEO

LitBit's goal is to integrate older systems with smart devices that are already connected to the Internet of Things. The company touts its RhythmOS software, which translates system languages into a more universally understood computer language -- enabling customers to build apps so systems can effectively work together.

MyDevices

Founded: 2013

Top Executive: Kevin Bromber, CEO

MyDevices develops middleware for connecting products and managing data. The company's IoT Platform-as-a-Service's capabilities revolve around security and management, equipping customers with authentication and access control, device management, analytics tools, and a highly scalable storage system for handling big data.

NexDefense

Founded: 2012

Top Executive: Jeff Spence, CEO

NexDefense delivers IoT security offerings to industrial control system operators who are connecting their machines on the manufacturing floor. The company's Integrity platform works as an industrial network anomaly detection system that helps operators detect and control threats in their machines.

Notion

Founded: 2013

Top Executive: Brett Jurgens, Co-Founder, CEO

Connected home startup Notion offers low-cost, customizable sensors that gives users "home awareness" by enabling them to monitor different functions in their home. The company is going to head to head with more expensive traditional home security systems with its own devices.

Pepper

Founded: 2014

Top Executive: Scott Ford, CEO

Pepper has created an IoT operating system and service delivery platform that enables enterprises to launch scalable IoT products and services. The company hopes that this operating system will help enterprise companies like insurance carriers, utilities and telecom providers who want to develop services around connected home solutions.

Reposify

Founded: 2016

Top Executive: Yaron Tal, Founder, CEO

Reposify, an IoT security company, provides insight on networks, digital assets and all devices from the hacker's point of view. Offerings enable enterprises to gain network visibility on a global scale, protect their networks from infected devices and vulnerable services, and easily discover, manage and monitor digital assets.

Roambee

Founded: 2014

Top Executive: Sanjay Sharma, CEO

Roambee has IoT-based offerings for shipment tracking, with technologies such as sensor data, analytics and predictive reporting. The offerings also feature a portable sensor device and cloud-based software platform, enabling companies to collect data from multiple streams to deliver machine-learning predictive analytics.

Rubicon Labs

Founded: 2012

Top Executive: Richard Egan, CEO

Rubicon Labs has built a secure IoT system for customers, including secure authentication to authorize device policies, digital fingerprints for every device, and real-time security for any target device. The startup's platform targets vertical markets such as the industrial space, medical, automotive, smart buildings and secure payments.

Samsara

Founded: 2015

Top Executive: Sanjit Biswas, Founder, CEO

Samsara touts its internet-connected sensor offering, which includes wireless gateways that transmit data to software in the cloud for industrial customers. This offering encrypts and secures data and sends it to the cloud, where the company's cloud service aggregates and analyzes the data for business value.

Seebo

Founded: 2012

Top Executive: Lior Akavia, Co-Founder, CEO

Seebo offers an IoT innovation platform that allows manufacturing companies to launch smart offerings quickly and cost-effectively. The IoT company's pitch to companies is that its platform enables them to carry out their IoT ideas from proof of concept to commercial validation "in a few short months."

WigWag

Founded: 2012

Top Executive: Ed Hemphill, Co-Founder, CEO

WigWag offers an open-source platform that can securely connect smart devices and IP networks across residential and business locations. Smart devices can be set to automatically obey rules, like setting a light switch to turn on at a specific time, or users can also control devices.

ZingBox

Founded: 2014

Top Executive: Xu Zou, Co-Founder, CEO

ZingBox's flagship product is its detection tool, IoT Guardian, an IoT security offering based on device "personalities." IoT Guardian leverages machine-learning capabilities to discover and assess risk and baseline normal behavior, detect anomalous activities