What's This?
By Megan Hess2013-08-08 21:23:39 +0600
The Launchpad is a series that introduces Mashable readers to compelling startups. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here.
Name: KeyMe
One-Liner Pitch: KeyMe stores your keys in the cloud to make them accessible all the time.
Why It's Taking Off: KeyMe's cloud-based key management platform means you no longer need a physical key in order to make a copy. Once you store your "digital key," you don't have to worry about lockouts and paying hundreds of dollars for an emergency locksmith visit.
It’s the end of a long day. You trudge back to your apartment, up the four flights of stairs, fish around in your bag and — dammit.
This scenario happened frequently enough to Greg Marsh and his fiancée that he turned it into a business. He was tired of waiting an hour for the locksmith and forking over $150.
See also: 6 Ways to De-Cloud and Avoid Tracking
KeyMe was born in a janitor’s closet at Columbia Business School two years ago, where Marsh teamed up with engineering students. He took a leave of absence from school — as Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs famously did — to raise KeyMe’s first round of funding.
The lockout space is ripe for innovation. Losing your keys is terribly inconvenient and replacements are expensive. Marsh’s solution stores keys in the cloud and makes them accessible at all hours at self-service kiosks located inside 7-Eleven stores across New York City — and now, through a mobile app released Thursday in the App Store.
[h=2]Starting Out Small[/h]Just over a month ago, KeyMe launched its first five kiosks in 7-Elevens across New York City. They use “computer vision” to duplicate keys; when you insert your key and log in with your fingerprint, cameras analyze a series of images to replicate it using an inventory of blind keys stored inside the booth.
This is fairly difficult, as keys harbor a great deal of wear-and-tear and intricate geometric features. Yet the entire process takes less than a minute and sets you back less than $10 (duplicates range from $2.99 to $6).
Almost 90 million people get locked out each year, Marsh said, and most solve the problem with locksmiths. That’s where he wants KeyMe to swoop in.
[h=2]Unlocking Mobile[/h]The startup's free new mobile app scans a copy of your key and generates a set of instructions that you can give to any locksmith — anywhere in the country — to get a new key from scratch, instead of bringing in a physical key to make the copy. This costs about $15, which is 90% less than a locksmith would typically charge.
The app also allows users to share digital keys and create digital keychains, which can prevent awkward when-should-we-meet conversations with overnight guests or new roommates.
After scanning your key with a smartphone's camera and sharing it with friends, they can get physical copies made at any locksmith by pulling up the instructions on the app or using KeyMe's mail order option. The latter takes two to three weeks and a key costs between $4.99 and $6.99 based on design; the team cuts the keys in its Long Island City office.
Key scanning on the app is strictly designed to prevent “flyby” photos, Marsh said. It requires photos of both sides of the key snapped four inches away on a white sheet of paper, detached from the keychain.
But KeyMe’s foray into key-sharing on mobile is bound to raise some eyebrows over security. What if you share credentials with a boyfriend who turns out to be a crazy stalker?
"We think it provides a false sense of security to revoke the share," Marsh said. "We make it clear that the sharing is a one-way street, a 'forever' thing with people you trust. It’s the same thing as handing your physical key to someone — there's no guarantee you'd be able to get it back."
It's worth noting that the app doesn’t store any personal information that could link your key data with your address or lock location.
[h=2]A Redbox for Keys[/h]The novelty and convenience of companies like Coinstar and Redbox are their biggest selling points. When members of my family tell me about a new service they tried ("Did you know you can rent DVDs from a kiosk in the supermarket?") — that's when I know they have hit mainstream. Coinstar and Redbox passed that test.
See also: 15 Monthly Subscription Boxes Shipping Essentials to Your Door
KeyMe is trying to become a household name in the same vein by offering a simple solution to an everyday problem for a reasonable fee. The app, key storage and sharing are free of charge; the company makes its money when customers purchase new keys.
According to its Crunchbase profile, KeyMe has raised $2.3 in seed funding as of January, most of which came from Battery Ventures. Investors include the founder of Coinstar and the cofounder of Peek and Virgin Mobile USA.
Would you feel comfortable storing your keys on an app? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Images: KeyMe
Topics: Apps and Software, Business, cloud storage, keyme, redbox, Startups, The Launchpad
By Megan Hess2013-08-08 21:23:39 +0600
Name: KeyMe
One-Liner Pitch: KeyMe stores your keys in the cloud to make them accessible all the time.
Why It's Taking Off: KeyMe's cloud-based key management platform means you no longer need a physical key in order to make a copy. Once you store your "digital key," you don't have to worry about lockouts and paying hundreds of dollars for an emergency locksmith visit.
It’s the end of a long day. You trudge back to your apartment, up the four flights of stairs, fish around in your bag and — dammit.
This scenario happened frequently enough to Greg Marsh and his fiancée that he turned it into a business. He was tired of waiting an hour for the locksmith and forking over $150.
See also: 6 Ways to De-Cloud and Avoid Tracking
KeyMe was born in a janitor’s closet at Columbia Business School two years ago, where Marsh teamed up with engineering students. He took a leave of absence from school — as Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs famously did — to raise KeyMe’s first round of funding.
The lockout space is ripe for innovation. Losing your keys is terribly inconvenient and replacements are expensive. Marsh’s solution stores keys in the cloud and makes them accessible at all hours at self-service kiosks located inside 7-Eleven stores across New York City — and now, through a mobile app released Thursday in the App Store.
[h=2]Starting Out Small[/h]Just over a month ago, KeyMe launched its first five kiosks in 7-Elevens across New York City. They use “computer vision” to duplicate keys; when you insert your key and log in with your fingerprint, cameras analyze a series of images to replicate it using an inventory of blind keys stored inside the booth.
This is fairly difficult, as keys harbor a great deal of wear-and-tear and intricate geometric features. Yet the entire process takes less than a minute and sets you back less than $10 (duplicates range from $2.99 to $6).
Almost 90 million people get locked out each year, Marsh said, and most solve the problem with locksmiths. That’s where he wants KeyMe to swoop in.
[h=2]Unlocking Mobile[/h]The startup's free new mobile app scans a copy of your key and generates a set of instructions that you can give to any locksmith — anywhere in the country — to get a new key from scratch, instead of bringing in a physical key to make the copy. This costs about $15, which is 90% less than a locksmith would typically charge.
The app also allows users to share digital keys and create digital keychains, which can prevent awkward when-should-we-meet conversations with overnight guests or new roommates.
After scanning your key with a smartphone's camera and sharing it with friends, they can get physical copies made at any locksmith by pulling up the instructions on the app or using KeyMe's mail order option. The latter takes two to three weeks and a key costs between $4.99 and $6.99 based on design; the team cuts the keys in its Long Island City office.
Key scanning on the app is strictly designed to prevent “flyby” photos, Marsh said. It requires photos of both sides of the key snapped four inches away on a white sheet of paper, detached from the keychain.
But KeyMe’s foray into key-sharing on mobile is bound to raise some eyebrows over security. What if you share credentials with a boyfriend who turns out to be a crazy stalker?
"We think it provides a false sense of security to revoke the share," Marsh said. "We make it clear that the sharing is a one-way street, a 'forever' thing with people you trust. It’s the same thing as handing your physical key to someone — there's no guarantee you'd be able to get it back."
It's worth noting that the app doesn’t store any personal information that could link your key data with your address or lock location.
[h=2]A Redbox for Keys[/h]The novelty and convenience of companies like Coinstar and Redbox are their biggest selling points. When members of my family tell me about a new service they tried ("Did you know you can rent DVDs from a kiosk in the supermarket?") — that's when I know they have hit mainstream. Coinstar and Redbox passed that test.
See also: 15 Monthly Subscription Boxes Shipping Essentials to Your Door
KeyMe is trying to become a household name in the same vein by offering a simple solution to an everyday problem for a reasonable fee. The app, key storage and sharing are free of charge; the company makes its money when customers purchase new keys.
According to its Crunchbase profile, KeyMe has raised $2.3 in seed funding as of January, most of which came from Battery Ventures. Investors include the founder of Coinstar and the cofounder of Peek and Virgin Mobile USA.
Would you feel comfortable storing your keys on an app? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Images: KeyMe
Topics: Apps and Software, Business, cloud storage, keyme, redbox, Startups, The Launchpad