IoT startup Spintly forays into US market, sets up first office in Los Angeles

Internet of things (IoT) based wireless access control startup Spintly on Monday said it has set up its first office outside India in Los Angeles.

Travis Willis, CEO of Circumflex, the Colorado based firm that connects manufacturers with IoT based solution providers, will join Spintly to head the business development vertical in the new market, a statement said.  

The Bengaluru headquartered startup said it plans to expand to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabian markets as well.

Founded in 2017 by Rohin Parkar and Malcolm Dsouza in Goa, the Mrinq Technologies-run startup is engaged in wireless product development and technical consulting, such as lighting control and asset tracking using bluetooth mesh networking technology.

Spintly operates a wireless cloud-based access control system, which enables users to use smartphones as access control devices. It offers products for office access, home access and attendance management.

“The US access control market, along with the Indian market, is going through a rapid transition from traditional access control systems to a more modern smartphone-based contactless access control system. With the world adapting to the new normal, the global access control market is ripe for disruption…,” the statement said.

Spintly, which launched its products in early 2019, targets office and co-working spaces. It claims to have captured over 50 businesses by early 2020.

“Spintly is challenging the status quo by introducing a new wireless mesh technology that can potentially change the access control industry… Our expansion into the US market has been marked by the addition of two US-based customers to our clientele,” CEO Parkar said.

With a presence across Goa, Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru, the startup aims to reach the 1,00,000 user mark by early 2021 on a global scale, against a current user base of 3,000. Its customers currently include companies such as OYO, L&T, P&G, MyGuest, Simply-guest and Nordic Intent, it said.

Spintly’s first and only funding disclosure was made in April, when it raised $250,000 in a bridge funding round led by undisclosed angel investors in the US and accelerator platform Saltwater Venture Sparks. 

Prior to that, it raised about $100,000 from US angel investors  in April.

The startup, which was incubated in Goa government-run Ignite-EDC Innovation Hub, also received a seed grant of about $13,000 from the state government in June 2020.