Hologram launched its cellular platform for the Internet of Things. In contrast to legacy cellular connectivity solutions, which are still geared towards mobile phones and tablets, the Hologram platform is purpose-built for developing and deploying IoT products. The company also announced $4.8 million in funding led by Drive Capital to grow the team and scale their cellular network.
By running its own cellular network, Hologram is able to provide an end-to-end connectivity solution which marries a global cellular network with fully-certified hardware and a cloud platform for device messaging. This makes it incredibly easy to get device data from the field to the internet, where Hologram’s software makes it useful for enterprise.
Hologram, formerly known as Konekt, enables developers and companies of any size and level of sophistication to build cellular-connected devices without the hassle and expense of custom engineering cellular infrastructure. With more than 50,000 existing connections globally and initial customers including Kelloggs, Metromile and Placemeter, Hologram has gained traction in the market as the simplest, most developer-friendly platform for building cellular connected devices.
“Currently, building a cellular connected device is a lot like setting up a website in 1998 when you had to buy server equipment and run it in your closet. Teams are spending a disproportionate amount of time rolling their own infrastructure when they should be focused on their core product; Hologram is changing this with a cellular platform that handles the infrastructure for you,” said Ben Forgan, CEO of Hologram. “With the investment from Drive Capital we can accelerate our growth to continue to build new features and products to support our expanding base of customers, both big and small.”
As more companies look to capitalize on efficiencies driven by data from connected devices, Hologram’s platform provides an essential service by lowering the cost of prototyping and deploying a new cellular product. This allows businesses to be more agile with their IoT strategy; they will no longer need to devote large chunks of engineering time to developing a prototype or deploying a new product.
“Hologram is re-defining the IoT connectivity market with elegantly designed, easy to use technology that transforms the world of connected things,” said Nick Solaro, partner at Drive Capital. “We believe Hologram, with its singular focus on building a robust, developer-friendly platform suitable for small and large enterprise companies alike, will continue to set the pace in the rapidly emerging IoT market.”
Bringing objects to life simply and quickly is a new imperative for individual makers and enterprise companies across industries. Hologram’s unified platform allows anyone to build and bring cellular connected products online in a single afternoon, with enterprise-grade security and transparent pricing.
For more information, please visit Hologram.io.
