An American startup has launched a new privacy-first platform designed to increase the appeal of intelligent homes for owners, developers and builders.
The One Raven Home Server runs data and devices locally rather than on the cloud to improve privacy, pairing with smart devices like thermostats, locks and sensors.
Founded by the team behind apartment platform SmartRent, the startup aims to reinforce the rollout of tech-enhanced homes as they become increasingly synonymous with premium real estate.
One Raven says systems are delivered pre-paired and factory-configured, with devices already connected to the Home Server before installation.
The move signals heightened interest in smart infrastructure as a property asset, especially when integrated conscientiously, and calls for new ways of thinking about residential technology as it matures into a component of the luxury construction chain.
Sarah Roudybush, one of the Arizona startup’s co-founders and president, said: “The first generation of the smart home asked homeowners to send their data to the cloud and pay monthly fees for features they already owned.
“We don't think any of that is necessary.
“One Raven is built to prove there is a better model - one where the home is intelligent, simple, private, and fully owned by the homeowner.”
The startup has raised a $5m seed round led by Fifth Wall, an investment firm focused on technology for the built environment, to back its Home Server and wider software/sales expansion.
Firm founder, CEO, and CIO Brendan Wallace said One Raven’s local-first approach could both counter fragmentation in the smart home market and create a foundation for truly embedded architectural intelligence.
While One Raven's website says its platform supports Matter and Thread, details of wider integration capabilities have yet to be disclosed.
Pictured above: co-founders Lucas Haldeman and Roudybush