Sensor technology company Somalytics has set up shop in a new space in Redmond.
The company announced the move Thursday, but its lease began July 1, and the company has already moved in and is using the 2,400-square-foot space, CEO Barbara Barclay said. Somalytics had previously been working out of the University of Washington's mechanical engineering department.
"We needed what's called a flex space, which is sort of half warehouse, half finished offices," Barclay said. "This particular property has turned out to be perfect for us."
The new space, located at 2525 152nd Ave. NE, can hold between 15 and 20 people, Barclay said. Somalytics currently has four employees but is interviewing for two more roles, she said.
Somalytics, founded in 2021, spun out of the University of Washington. The company makes sensors that are meant to be smaller, faster and cheaper than current sensors, all while being more sensitive to human presence. Using these sensors in household appliances, Barclay said, could allow consumers to operate something like a light switch without actually touching it. Other uses, according to Barclay, include automotive, manufacturing and health tracking, such as monitoring heart and breathing rates.
Barclay was the first employee of the company. The founders, she said, were Dr. Jae-Hyun Chung and his two doctoral candidates. Barclay said Chung is not joining the company as an employee, but Somalytics' website notes he is an adviser and board member.
As for why Somalytics chose Redmond instead of Seattle, Barclay said a big factor was cost.
"We wanted to get a good facility with greater space, and it would have been more expensive typically in the greater Seattle area," Barclay said. "For obvious reasons, since we're a startup, we were not interested in spending a lot of our funding on housing."
