Sequoia pumps $57m into SimpliSafe

In the modern security environment, there's no shortage of relatively new, tech-savvy companies intent on revising the traditional alarm monitoring business model. That some of these upstart companies, such as Cambridge, Mass.-based SimpliSafe, are now attracting serious outside investment interest is a development that bears watching.

SimpliSafe, which provides wireless security systems and professional monitoring services without long-term contracts, recently partnered with Sequoia, a prominent venture capital firm in Silicon Valley, to raise $57 million. On its website, the company claims to have 100,000 customers.

SimpliSafe describes itself as a “disruptive tech company working to help people live safely,” while touting its in-house maxim that “being safe should be simple.”

Interestingly enough, SimpliSafe doesn't fit perfectly into the DIY/MIY mold; it's really more of a hybrid between those types of systems and more traditional security units. A Wall Street Journal blog noted that a SimpliSafe system with sensors and other burglary protection components, along with a hardware package, typically costs about $260. The company also offers monitoring services for $14.99 per month, but doesn't require customers to purchase them.

In a company blog, Chad Laurans, CEO of SimpliSafe, said the following: “We've eliminated unnecessary middlemen, so we can pass the savings onto our customers and pour our resources into product innovation and customer service.”

Down the road, one of the biggest threats to central station RMR could be the proliferation of increasingly sophisticated DIY/MIY systems that unite ease of use and installation with competitive pricing models. As of yet, there's no clear writing on the wall that says central station RMR will suffer the effects of “disintermediation” at the hands of innovative MIY products. But a $57 million infusion is no small sum for the security industry. It goes without saying that an investment of this scale can be transformative from a product development standpoint.

It will be interesting to see if this pared down version of security and alarm monitoring indeed proves to be disruptive, and if so, how the monitoring industry responds to the challenge.