September 10, 2014

Sensor startup Soneter sniffs out $6M raise

By Atlanta Business Chronicle

Atlanta sensor technology startup Soneter has raised $6 million from the GRA Venture Fund and manufacturing partner Flextronics.

Soneter, a Georgia Tech spinoff launched in 2010, has developed a wireless device that provides non-invasive water and gas meter monitoring and data analysis in real time.

Being able to determine how much water is flowing through a pipe is difficult, without cutting into a pipe and installing a meter, said Paul Freet, who advised Soneter while it went through Georgia Tech's Venture Lab program.

Soneter's wireless sensor clamps onto the outside of a pipe and uses ultrasound to monitor pressure and flow. Advanced algorithms take use that ultrasound signal and use it to accurately determine flow.

Soneter's technology also reports usage data in real time helping identify leaks and improving efficiency.

"You can (remotely) find out if a toilet is leaking in your vacation home," Freet said.

The technology grew out of the need to do two things: making people aware of their usage and conservation, Soneter CEO Jeff Leaders said earlier.

“Putting those two together really led us to the idea of giving somebody something that was inexpensive and easy to install and came with real-time feedback,” Leaders said.

With its technology, Soneter is tapping into the Internet of Things, an emerging trend where otherwise dumb devices — thermostats, light bulbs and appliances are getting connected to the Internet and able to transit data to smartphones and amongst themselves.

"There's a huge opportunity...in being able to meter and monitor everything from electricity usage, to water usage to gas usage," Freet said. "We will be able to use that data to lower the around of energy and water consumption, (and) simply being smarter about how we are using those resources."

Soneter, which has raised $8.7 million thus far, plans to expand into new markets, such as leak detection, residential and commercial submetering and water management, Leaders said,

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