Overview

The need      
Larger facility and more staff to support a growing business.

The solutions   
Financing from Connecticut Innovations, funding from Small Business Express.

The story
Chris Allen had invented a device that relays the temperature from inside a barbecue grill to an iPhone app, meaning backyard chefs could monitor their cooking from anywhere. The iGrill was an immediate hit, being named best new Bluetooth product at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show. Allen had ideas for more devices, but he needed space for research and development and more people for R&D and sales.

That same year, CI, Connecticut’s venture capital fund, invested $150,000 in iDevices, the first of a total of $3 million CI invested in the company. In 2012, the company got a $100,000 matching grant and a $250,000 loan from Small Business Express.

The results
iDevices grew from four employees in 2012 to more than 70, with a $7.4 million payroll, in 2018. It now has a full line of Wi-Fi-enabled smart home solutions that work with Alexa, Siri, and the Google Assistant.