Over the last 2 years I have seen the opportunity in the market for a simple to use, but still complex enough to contain all vital functions, Internet of things (IoT) hosting platform. By this, I mean a platform that can act as a hub for ¨smart¨ devices that are connect to- or controlled by the internet. Finally this week, as announced in an article by Postscapes, the leading media publisher for IoT news, a Silicon Valley based startup called Mode Inc. has launched an innovative platform that will take over the market.

I don’t tend to believe that the launching of a new platform directly means that a market will be disrupted, because the word ‘platform’ is overused and misunderstood. However, with a financial backing of $775,000 by the VC firms Kleiner Perkins Caufield Byers and Metamorphic Ventures, Mode is able to leverage the expertise of VC’s that have been in the tech space since the beginning of the internet. Especially KPCB caught my attention due to their previous investments in Google Inc., Twitter and many other very successful firms.

More on the technical side, Mode promises to ¨serve as a backend for IoT companies¨. Furthermore, ¨By handling all of the backend services, such as user and device management and secure real-time access control, companies that use MODE can focus on the things that matter the most to their users, like hardware manufacturing and mobile user experience.¨ This quote directly from the Mode website shows that it is a perfect fit for projects that customers at SODAQ engage in, enabling us to support their data management while we focus on creating the best devices for custom and autonomous IoT deploment.

They have created an API in which the majority of the communication between the device and their platform is standardised, which will hopefully create a technology shift between the larger corporates such as Philips and Bosch. Their API can be used in smaller private environments too, which is perfect for corporates who still have fears in opening up their data.

In terms of timing, I don’t think mode could have done any better as the Maker Faire in the Bay Area as well as the Internet of Things World in San Francisco are both this week. They will have direct access to all the customers they need, and hopefully they will continue to grow. With SODAQ I am going to contact them, to see if we can promote the platform to our customers and gain some visibility through them too.

Here is the link for the platform: http://www.tinkermode.com/