August built early success with internet-connected smart locks and was acquired by Yale in 2017, remaining a top-selling smart lock brand. Connected-home devices like smart locks, doorbells, and thermostats are now common, yet the ideal of a home that intuitively caters to residents remains unrealized. The founding team behind August has formed Doma, led by Jason Johnson and designer Yves Béhar, and secured seed backing from prior investors Moderne Ventures and Uncork Capital. The smart home market continues to grow, but founders see room for disruption to improve resilience to floods and better respond to occupants' moods.
Fourteen years ago, Silicon Valley startup August rethought the front door with its internet-connected smart locks. Its growth led to an acquisition in 2017 by lock manufacturer Yale-and it's still the top-selling smart lock brand in the U.S. But despite the relative ubiquity of connected-home products like August 's locks, Ring doorbells, and Nest thermostats, the true ideal of the smart home-a dwelling with built-in tech that seems to magically cater to your needs-seems no closer than it was when August launched.
Now, August's founding team is back for a second attempt at realizing the smart home with Doma. The new startup is led by August founders Jason Johnson and designer Yves Béhar, and it's even raised an undisclosed sum from original August investors Moderne Ventures and Uncork Capital in a recent seed round. On paper, Doma doesn't need to exist. The smart home market is growing with or without it.
But that hardly means there isn't opportunity for disruption in a category that doesn't seem to be making anyone all that happy. For most people, the home is their single greatest investment, but it's no more resilient to floods or able to cater to our moods than it was a generation ago. Béhar and Johnson think they can address at least one of those.
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