#UpwardLabsSpotlight | OVAL
With each passing day, our homes become smarter.
...From lights that shine on command, to doorbells with instant alerts of motion at your doorstep, and an almost overwhelming amount of solutions in between.
In a multi-device market, OVAL stands out as the "swiss army knife" of connected home devices. OVAL is a 5-in-1 smart sensor that detects and alerts residents and property managers of critical changes in real-time.
Upward's marketing team sat down with film producer-turned-tech CEO Michael Harry and co-founder Lannie Moore to learn more about how their technology is protecting families, saving energy, and preventing property damage with an aptly-named device that fits in the palm of your hand.
UPWARD: Give us OVAL’s elevator pitch.
Michael Harry: OVAL is a 5-in-1 smart sensor that monitors and detects sudden or gradual changes in temperature, light, humidity, motion, and water, alerting users of these changes in real-time.
U: What drives you and your team to accomplish your mission?
MH: OVAL started out as a non-invasive monitor for any room, area, or object around the home. When I got involved in the company, the product was still in early development and I used my grandmother and her caregiver, my mother, as inspiration and really started looking at how OVAL could help people live safer, healthier and happier at home.
U: Why Upward Labs?
MH: Upward Labs’ focus on Property and Insurance markets attracted us to this program. Having a multi-sensing device that is so flexible can be a challenge because it is relevant for SO many applications. Upward Labs helps us, as a company, apply focus and really build out our B2B value propositions and business models so that we can achieve significant customer traction in the short-term.
U: Tell us about your current pilots:
MH: For residential pilots, we’re in a luxury multi-family tenant apartment building, The Borden by Lexington Properties LLC, and Upward’s very own 196 Trumbull co-living space. Our commercial office pilot is running at Shelbourne Global’s 100 Pearl Street building, in which we are monitoring for water leaks while collecting data on temperatures, light, and humidity. We also set up OVAL in concrete-walled equipment rooms (where WiFi doesn’t normally reach) with the help of an inexpensive WiFi hot spot, so we’re really testing all the kinds of situations that property owners might come across. Our goal is to help our business customers overcome the challenges they face in having an affordable, flexible, reliable leak + environmental monitoring + security system in place 24/7. Every single OVAL sensor monitors all 5 conditions simultaneously, no other system of our kind gives you that much data at once.
Lannie Moore: At The Borden, tenants are responsible for their own utilities, so OVAL is helping them to better identify their energy usage and reduce bills, in addition to water leak detection and motion-based security monitoring. On the property management side, we have a pilot program in place in the property’s model apartments and in the common amenities area. We already helped stop a flood by early detecting a water leak behind an external ice machine! Lexington is committed to improving their properties with the latest in smart home tech, like OVAL and Upward Labs’ alumni company Aura Air. This is a win for the tenants who want to live in the safest, healthiest buildings and for the property owner who needs to achieve safe, healthy buildings in an affordable and easy-to-manage way.
This is a win for the tenants who want to live in the safest, healthiest buildings and for the property owner who needs to achieve safe, healthy buildings in an affordable and easy-to-manage way. - Lannie Moore, Business Development & Partnerships at OVAL
U: What are the key takeaway for potential clients, partners, and investors?
LM: For a smart monitoring system, OVAL is extremely privacy-focused: there are no cameras or microphones. Our smart sensors capture the data that homeowners/renters and property managers are most interested in for reasons of safety, energy efficiency, and asset protection.
MH: From a sustainability standpoint, this solution is becoming especially attractive in a work-from-home world. From a human standpoint, OVAL affords families and caregivers the peace of mind knowing their loved ones are safe at home. Lastly, the product can be conveniently integrated with existing smart home systems, such as Alexa, Google Home, and IFTTT, at the user’s discretion.
U: Tell us about you:
MH: In my role as CEO, I support all lines of the business. I focus my attention on product roadmap, customer experience and our main B2C sales channel at Amazon.com/OVAL. I am passionate about user-informed design and I work closely with our product team to ensure the consistency and integrity of our brand. We listen to our users and are there for them if they have any questions or need support 24/7.
LM: I lead business strategy and B2B sales. Fundraising and investor relations is also a key part of what I do, and representing OVAL at Upward Labs to make sure we develop and maintain fruitful partnerships. So far we’ve met great people here who I’m sure will be our business partners and friends for a long time!
Click here to purchase your OVAL on Amazon, and enjoy a special 20% off this Cyber Monday!
Learn more about OVAL at meetoval.com.
About Upward Labs
Upward Labs is a Connecticut-based venture fund that has developed an ideal ecosystem to fast-track AgeTech and PropTech startups in the U.S. market. The program matches each startup with decision-makers from leading Fortune 100 and 500 companies in the healthcare and real estate industries. The startups and their corporate advisors work together for six months to first identify the use cases that prove the greatest commercial potential, and then test them in the Labs' numerous sandbox buildings and facilities. As the pilots deliver data and results, each Lab and its advisors work with the startups to refine their product and offering, thus enabling rapid growth and commercial traction. Learn more at www.moveupward.city/startups.