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Devicescape Software, Inc.

Product Name

Devicescape

Market Segment

Consumer

Funding

Series A, 2002: Venture funding from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, August Capital and Applied Materials Ventures, $10 million. Series B, January 2005: Venture funding from Enterprise Partners Venture Capital and JAFCO Ventures, $12.2 million.

Competitors

No direct competitors. Secondary competitors include Boingo Wireless and iPass.

Product Description

Devicescape automatically connects wireless devices, such as laptops, WiFi phones and music players, to hotspots and municipal networks. The Devicescape software and service eliminate the need for a Web browser and the hassle of entering user names and passwords. Consumers can add new devices and network services via an easy-to-use Web interface. Once set up, devices automatically connect to wireless networks, making them as easy to use as a cell phone.

Market Opportunity

According to Merrill Lynch, the total addressable market of WiFi-enabled mobile devices is expected to exceed 298 million units by 2009. This market is expected to be dominated by low-cost, browser-less devices like GSM/WiFi converged handsets, wireless VOIP phones, portable gaming systems and personal media players.

Demo Says

WiFi connectivity is just about everywhere, but actually hooking into those networks remains a hassle, especially for devices that don’t have embedded browsers. As more of these devices become IP capable, Devicescape will play a critical role in getting them online. The company’s component software and Web-based management is a smart alternative to more complex WiFi connectivity schemes, and as such is a welcome addition to the embedded connectivity schema.