Ding - smart doorbell innovation
by Startacus Admin
Ding is a doorbell. It’s smarter than a normal doorbell, but not as smart as a smart doorbell.
The Ding team considers these to be overly complicated, over-engineered, and generally overly high-tech things that most people don’t want in their homes. Ding is simpler and more refined. On the outside, a slim unit with grey or brass button, on the inside a fabric-covered speaker designed to look pleasing in the home.
But the useful part of Ding is its connectivity to your smartphone. When someone rings your doorbell, your doorbell rings you. Then, wherever you are, you can speak to the person on your doorstep and tell them to go away, wait while you come in from the garden, leave the package behind the flower pot and you’ll get it when you come home from Spain, etc.
The Ding team was one of 3 to win the Design Council Spark programme, netting themselves £65,000 and bringing their idea to a prototype and viable business plan. They have also been through the 12-week John Lewis JLAB accelerator, working with their design and buying teams to work on everything from price to packaging. 
As well as the Design Council funding, they have raised over $111,000 (more than 200% of the target) from Kickstarter, and have been gathering pre-orders from Indiegogo InDemand (a post-campaign solution that bridges the gap between fundraising and actually selling). They have also recently received nearly £20,000 more than their £250,002 (we assume the £2 is for coffee) goal on Seedrs.
So judging by all this, there is certainly a market for doorbells that ring you, and it opens the door (literally the only pun we could knock-knock out) to a suite of other products in the future.
The Ding team looks at the likes of Nest and Dyson and the way they have innovated common household things like the thermostat and vacuum cleaner, and feels like it is in a position to do the same for products focused around the front of the home, such as secure delivery boxes or, say, the doorbell.
Subscribe to our newsletter
If you would like to receive our startup themed newsletter, full of the latest startup opportunities, events, news, stories, tips and advice, then sign up here.
London startup Soldo, is aiming to streamline the entire business expense cycle –from payment to reconciliation.
Don’t worry if your business died. You just got a step closer to entrepreneurial heaven says Richard Myers, Commercial Director at Transmit Start-Ups.
SupplyCompass, a design-to-delivery sourcing platform that provides an efficient and sustainable solution for global supply chains, agrees a £1.5m seed fund deal.
Apprenticeship startup WhiteHat raises $16m Series A led by Index Ventures and prepares to expand its alternative to university.
How can women effectively challenge gender bias in the workplace? Hayley Mackenzie from Boiler Guide, shares here thoughts and experience.
The app that's aiming to help us to take the first step in reversing climate change...
The startup that's providing Nursing Home residents with additional meaningful social interactions provided by local people!
Some easy and inexpensive ways to make your start-up more secure.
The vidiCREW app is on a mission to show your wedding through the eyes of your loved ones. How does it work?
The Startup Leadership Program continues to grow, inviting applications for its 9th London cohort to join the six-month program.
Published on: 21st August 2017
If you would like to enable commenting via your Startacus account, please enable Disqus functionality in your Account Settings.
- Startup Leadership Program invites applications for its 9th London cohort 12th Jul 2019 The Startup Leadership Program continues to grow, inviting applications for its 9th London cohort to join the six-month program.
- Latest Zinc Company Builder Programme to transform the quality of later life 9th Jul 2019 Do you want to build a new purpose-driven startup with support from a world-class network of experts?
- HealthTech startups sought for Greater Manchester Future of Health Challenge 4th Jul 2019 The Greater Manchester Future of Health Challenge is on the hunt for innovative healthtech startups and scaleups...
- Seedrs FMCG Accelerator Programme to help 10 UK-based FMCG businesses 3rd Jul 2019 Seedrs have launched their first FMCG Accelerator Programme dedicated to helping up to 10 UK-based FMCG businesses raise capital.
