CES 2017 is upon us. While the consumer electronics trade show officially begins Thursday, there's already buzz about what tech companies will showcase, which products are promising and which ones are doomed for the gadget graveyard.
There are plenty of companies from Massachusetts planning to show off their wares on the exhibition floor, including tech incumbents like iRobot, which will likely be showing the latest robots from its Roomba and Brava product lines.
But what about the actual startups? From the Boston area, there's a good handful of early-stage ventures in various stages of development at CES this year, with some of them planning to debut new products at the show. That includes Skelmet, a new startup that uses a face-scanning app to make custom-fit wearables, and ONvocal, a startup making "intelligent" headphones that work with Amazon's Alexa voice service (the startup's team includes vets from Sonos, Bose and LoopPay).
Here are the Boston-area startups at CES that have caught our attention:
Based in Andover, Blink makes a product line of smart, wireless home security and video monitoring systems. The startup promotes its products as affordable and easy-to-use, with its one-camera system starting at $99. There is no subscription fee, and the system now integrates with Amazon Alexa. It raised a $5.8 million round of capital in 2015. Booth info.
Skelmet is a Cambridge-based startup that creates custom-fit wearables with a face-scanning app. Its first product is a set of high-performance sunglasses, which will be available to order on Kickstarter later this month. Booth info.
ONvocal is a Northborough-based startup that has created what it calls “the first intelligent headphones with Amazon Alexa Voice and Music Services.” The headphones cost $399 and they start shipping on Jan. 10. The startup’s chairman is Will Graylin, former CEO and founder of LoopPay, which Samsung acquired last year. Its president, Bob Spaner, was previously a managing director for Sonos and its vice president of electronics and software engineering, John Maddox, was previously an advanced engineering manager for Bose. Booth info.
MarkForged is a Cambridge-based startup that makes what it says is the “world’s first and only desktop carbon printer.” Its 3D printers, which start at $3,499, are used by the U.S. Air Force, Nissan, Nike, Google, Amazon and NASA. The startup raised a $1 million seed round from Matrix Partners and North Bridge Venture Partners in 2013. Booth info.
Como Audio is a Boston-based consumer audio startup from Tom DeVesto, founder of Cambridge SoundWorks and Tivoli Audio. The startup makes high-end audio streaming devices that have an Italian design aesthetic with a handcrafted wood form factor. They directly sync with Spotify and a Como app. They can also be set up for multi-room streaming. The devices range from $119 to $449 and are available now. Booth info.
WiTricity is a Watertown-based startup developed wireless charging technology. On Wednesday at CES, the startup announced its new WT8800 Wireless Charging Controller for consumer electronics, ranging from laptops to wearables and smartphones. It also recently announced it’s teaming with GM to test wireless chargers for electric vehicles. The startup has raised $31 million from investors, including Intel Capital and Foxconn Technology Group. Booth info.
Pavlok is a brand of wearable devices developed by Boston-based Behavioral Technology Group that gives users an electric shock to help them break bad habits. The startup has also released the Pavlok Shock Clock, which is specifically designed to help users develop better sleeping habits. The devices range from $99 to $149 and are available to order now. Pavlok founder Maneesh Sethi made national headlines in 2016 when he was grilled on ABC’s Shark Tank by Kevin O’Leary and Mark Cuban. Booth info.
BrainCo is a Somerville-based startup developing brain-machine interface wearable technology that aims to help people with focus issues and learning difficulties. It was incubated at the Harvard Innovation Lab, and it has raised $5.5 million. Booth info.
