A story about the birth of millet Yeelight smart bulbs

Hunting cloud network, millet technology, despite the excellent hardware devices known to the people, the company has always been to Internet Co itself.

A company called Internet Co, can represent a lot of meaning. Low distribution costs, network effects and a large number of channels are recognized as the three key features of the Internet business. It is true that millet smartphone business does have more than three characteristics, but in its strategic plan of things, and how to reflect these characteristics?

In the past few years, millet technology steadily launched a series of smart home equipment products - including smart cameras, blood pressure monitors, smart sockets, etc.. However, few people will mention the real manufacturers behind these devices is not millet, but the third party. Lei Jun millet technology repeatedly stressed that their products only three categories, namely smart phones and tablet, TV and set-top boxes and routers. But if Lei Jun is not empty, then millet will be how to get profit from the outsourcing of networking equipment, and millet partners who can get the benefits from millet there?

Millet technology will affect the development of the Internet of things in China or other emerging markets, and now it is too early to conclude. Only from the current situation, with Yeelink, millet technology venture company in Qingdao, the sale of intelligent cooperation light -- to tell us the millet is constantly for the upcoming new round of upsurge of equipment ready to work in the millet online.

Innovative smart lights when

Like most entrepreneurs, Jiang Zhaoning and Liu Daping have been looking for entrepreneurial opportunities and ideas in their free time. Over the years, they designed a variety of business models and models, but all in vain, until one day in October 2012, a PHILPS production of intelligent light Hue lights up the sleeping brain. They make a prompt decision left lucent, in Chinese decide housekeep also designed such products.

"We firmly believe that with the rapid development of intelligent mobile phone market, Home Furnishing automation market will be stimulated booming, this is our original intention of the establishment of Yeelink, the founder of Jiang Zhaoning said," we chose the lighting as a starting point because we think that lighting is the daily life indispensable thing, and the connectivity of the Internet can bring the revolutionary the changes for the daily required field. "

Then, Jiang Zhaoning and Liu Daping found millet for further development. Two conceived the company's first product, Yeelight Blue, basic functions and similar to PHILPS's Hue, but more humane and cheaper than Hue. In addition, Hue through the wireless LAN (Zigbee) to connect the phone and lamps, while the Yeelight uses Wifi and Bluetooth as the connection media, but also reduces the consumption of electricity.

"We have chosen a lower threshold technology, so that we can sell our products individually, unlike PHILPS's Hue, which can only be sold for three. Our pricing is between $20-30 per dollar, so even if the user is not very interested in this, it is also possible to buy one. Jiang Zhaoning explains.

Jiang Zhaoning and Liu Daping took only three months to complete the prototype of Yeelight's work. Jiang said that such a high efficiency is due to the background of their communications engineers, he believes that in all technical skills, communication engineering can be attributed to the top of the technology. When they publicly demonstrated the design concept of Yeelight, the two people in early 2013 to join a Shenzhen based hardware incubator project - HAXLR8R.

According to Jiang Zhaoning, although the HAXLR8R project does provide some seed funds to their team, but it is nothing more than, they found that it is unlikely to get financing from the famous venture capital company.

"They acknowledged that our idea is very interesting, but they do not think there is much practical significance of this intelligent lamp," Jiang recalled, "they don't put our intelligent lamp when one thing, do not think there will be many development prospects. "

But when it came to an end, the goddess of fortune finally came to visit them. The team received $20 thousand in financing in the roll call time. Although this amount to today's congregation raised standards is not superior, but Jiang said, the congregation raised the activities so that they raise the activity to the first intelligent hardware devices all the site's title and no small reputation.

More fortunate is that shortly after the end of the project, there is a clear message that Google to $3 billion 200 million in cash to acquire Nest. According to Jiang's memories, investors who once scorned their companies have come to the door. Among the many investors interested in the Yeelight, there are millet technology. Jiang also said that technical personnel from Google greatly contributed to the reliability of Yeelight.

Because most of the early employees of millet technology from Google China, they have a wealth of experience in the smart home market and has done a lot of research. They believe that we are currently in the Chinese market, one of the most outstanding smart device startups, and feel that we have the ability to produce the final product. "

So in early 2014, millet collar cast Yeelink, and later in the time to buy the company's products and shelves