CEDIA Expo 2021 is turning into a spotlight stage for small and startup companies in the channel, and the “Launchpad” will be highlighting 10 such residential technology brands at the Indiana Convention Center during the Sept. 1-3 event in Indianapolis.
The Launchpad is designed to showcase brands that have been in business for fewer than three years and have never exhibited at CEDIA Expo.
In addition, CEDIA Propel affinity program brands will be participating in the Launchpad. That program features companies in emerging technologies such as wellness and immersive fitness as well as other innovations.
“CEDIA Expo has been instrumental in launching my company, Josh.ai, and gaining exposure to the custom installation community,” says Alex Capecelatro, CEO of Josh.ai, who has been a past judge for the CEDIA Expo’s “Shark Tank”-style TechStarter program – into which Launchpad exhibitors are also entered.
“Our very first exhibit was inside the Expo’s Innovation Alley (now the Launchpad), a corridor highlighting promising new ventures. Just two years later we took home CEDIA’s Best New Product Award for Josh Micro, a hardware product we announced at the Expo. This show is a major highlight for us, and we always look forward to unveiling our latest innovation.”
Launchpad Exhibitors on CEDIA Expo Show Floor
The Launchpad exhibitor participants include:
- Allterco Robotics (Booth #2931) – Allterco’s Shelly automation platform sensors and energy metering products let integrators incorporate power consumption and environmental data into automation solutions. Native integrations, third party licensed drivers, community supported integrations, and the ability to use CoAP, REST or MQTT let you connect your circuit to virtually any control system your client wants to use.
- Autoslide (Booth #2835) – A CEDIA Propel brand, Autoslide designs and manufactures automation systems for doors and windows with a focus on residential applications and light-commercial applications. The original system, AutoSlide, was prototyped in 2004 in Sydney, Australia, home to the global headquarters.
- Blonder Tongue Labs (Booth #2933) – Blonder Tongue offers comprehensive solutions for the management and distribution of digital video, IPTV and high-speed data services, and RF broadband distribution over fiber, IP and coax networks for homes and businesses.
- Dejero (Booth #3131) – The Waterloo, Ontario-based company says its smart Dejero GateWay devices provide reliable Internet access and enhanced bandwidth to keep homes connected and safe, even in areas where coverage is limited.
- GDC Technology (USA) (Booth #3133) – GDC Technology is a global provider of digital cinema solutions introducing its Espedeo Supra-5000 RGB Plus Laser Phosphor Cinema Projector along with Espedeo VM-1140 VESA Ceiling Mount and Espedeo PM-2000B 3D Polarized System. The Supra-5000 is the world’s smallest, quietest, and lightest ceiling-mounted DCI-compliant laser projector, the company claims.
- Guard Dog Solutions (Booth #3135) – The brand offers a cloud-based software service with a companion device that work together to simplify network security. Guard Dog says the solution exposes invisible threats on networks, and the devices attached to them, with patented technology to protect by preventing cybersecurity threats before they compromise network environments.
- Hide-A-Trim (Booth #3031) – According to the company’s website, Hide-A-Trim was designed with the purpose of enhancing the appearance of walls and ceilings, and camouflages installed electrical devices on any wall or surface.
- Juke Audio (Booth #2831) – Based in Los Angeles, Juke Audio manufactures a compact multi-room audio amplifier/receiver for powering in wall and ceiling speakers throughout entire homes and buildings. Juke offers a 6 zone (12 channel) model and a 8 zone (16 channel) model, which can be paired together for larger spaces.
- KEW Labs (Booth #3033) – The Twinsburg, Ohio, company says its solution enables installations of efficient and safe wireless charging in minutes under any non-metallic surface at thicknesses between 0.39″-1.0″ (10-25mm). Ideal for kitchens, home offices and other secondary rooms.
- Orro (Booth #2729) – With an increasingly wider integration reach, the Orro Smart Living System transforms any home with automatic human-centric, wellness driven smart lighting, home-wide control, energy savings and home monitoring capabilities.
HDMI Staffing: Launchpad ‘Surpassed Our Expectations’
“We had just opened HDMI Staffing when we displayed in the Launchpad at CEDIA Expo … we literally didn’t know what to expect,” says Brent Wiseman of HDMI Staffing about the opportunity.
“In the end it far surpassed our expectations by providing immediate business at the show and immediately after. It was a major help in putting us on the map within the Integrator community.”
The Launchpad exhibitors are automatically entered into the TechStarter program, now in its third year as a CEDIA Expo show feature.
Exhibiting Launchpad brands will pitch products and services to industry leaders for a chance to be chosen as a TechStarter FIVE. If chosen, they will receive social media coverage, media training, interviews, and participate in the awards ceremony for the chance to win a prize valued at $5,000.
