The Denver-based startup Rachio, which launched in 2012 with its smart sprinkler controller, debuted another product Thursday to promote efficient water use: a smart timer for garden hoses.
The timer comes with a smart valve that connects to an outdoor faucet. It also comes with a Wi-Fi hub, and purchasers can use their smartphones to control and schedule the timer. The device automatically skips watering when it rains and incorporates a flow meter that's patented by Rachio.
"It gives you all the features and functionality of a smart irrigation controller, but on your hose," Rachio CEO Kim Sentovich told Colorado Inno in August. At the time, the timer was going through beta testing.
Rachio publicly unveiled the device last week in Las Vegas at the Consumer Electronics Show, an annual conference operated by the Consumer Technology Association. Rachio is one of about two dozen Colorado companies exhibiting their products at the show.
The timer will become available for sale in March via its website and leading retailers, the startup said. It's expected to cost $99. The company's smart sprinkler controller — its founding product — sells for about $200 at Home Depot, Amazon and Best Buy.
Rachio was founded in Denver in 2012, and Sentovich joined as CEO in 2021. She previously worked as an executive at Home Depot and Walmart and was an early investor in Rachio. The startup's mission to promote water efficiency led Sentovich to make the leap from investor into the C Suite.
"A lot of times you'll work on a project but don't actually get to understand how it's going to impact the world or your kids and the world they're going to live in," Sentovich said. "And this was an instance where it's very easy to tie that connection between what you're doing and its impact."
Since joining Rachio, Sentovich has kept the startup focused on its role in smart lawn care. Previously, the company was considering going into other sales areas, such as fertilizer, she said.
"Since I've been here, we've really said, 'Look, this is what we're good at. We're a software company. We're an Internet of Things for the outdoors. So how do we capitalize on that and not get distracted?'" Sentovich said. "Let's just do what we're really good at and the customers rely on us for and keep expanding those."
In 2022, Rachio further developed its partnership with Home Depot, increased its advertising on Amazon and put more resources toward educating people about its products, Sentovich said.
Also last year, Rachio launched a consumer poll to gain insights about peoples' water usage in areas experiencing drought. More than half of the respondents in the poll said they didn't plan to change their outdoor water usage to help address drought conditions, and about 20% of homeowners were unaware that there were water restrictions in several states. Of the respondents living in areas with water restrictions, 70% said they complied with them.
Sentovich said that smart lawn care products like Rachio's have the potential to make sustainable water use easier and more palatable for consumers.
"If we can just make it more efficient and automatically reduce their water use, I think we can make an impact," she said. "That's really been our message, is that we can make it easier for you. You can save money and you can save water."
