Accel Leads $6M Round In Video Monitoring And Cloud Streaming Service Dropcam

Leena Rao

Leena Rao is currently a Senior Editor for TechCrunch. She recently finished graduate school at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, where she studied business journalism and videography. From 2004 to 2007, she helped lead Congresswoman Carloyn Maloney’s community outreach and relations efforts in New York City. She graduated from Columbia University in 2003, where she was... → Learn More

Wednesday, September 21st, 2011
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The developers of Wi-Fi video camera monitoring and intelligent streaming service Dropcam, has raised $5.8 million in Series A funding led by Accel Partners with participation from existing angel investors including Mitch Kapor, Aydin Senkut (Felicis Ventures), Ben Narasin Triple Point Capital), David Cowan, Salil Deshpande and Bradley Horowitz. Sameer Gandhi of Accel Partners joins the Dropcam board of directors as part of this investment round.

Founded by former Xobni engineers Greg Duffy and Amir Virani, Dropcam, which we reviewed here, is a simple camera that users can set up in their home or place of business to dkeep a watchful eye on what they care about. After setting up a Dropcam camera, users can access their real-time, 24/7 video stream via a SaaS application on their computer, smartphone (via iPhone and Android apps) or tablet.

Dropcam, which costs $199, will also send you instant email and push alerts when the camera’s sensor detects motion and audio. And with Dropcam’s DVR capabilities, users can record up to 30 days of moment-by-moment video. The company says that personal video feeds can be safely and privately shared with friends and family. In fact the most common use of the technology is for home monitoring and for baby monitoring, says the startup.

The new funding will be used for product development and towards expand the software engineering team in its San Francisco offices.


Company: Dropcam
Website: dropcam.com
Launch Date: January 2009
Funding: $17.8M

Dropcam is a video monitoring platform designed for the mainstream market. Dropcam makes things easy and accessible from any internet-connected device. The company focuses on easy setup and mobile apps for iPhone, iPad, and Android that bring live and recorded video to users no matter where they are. Dropcam HD was unveiled at CES 2012 and sells for $149. Features include 720p video, 2-way audio, night vision, and a versatile design meant for mainstream homes. The optional cloud recording service...

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