August Home, Inc.

August Home, Inc.
Name	August Home, Inc.
Type	Private
Industry	Consumer electronics
Founded	2012
Founders	Jason Johnson; Yves Behar; Raaj Sethi
Headquarters	San Francisco, California, United States
Key people	Jason Johnson (CEO)
Products	Smart locks; smart home accessories; mobile apps
Parent	ASSA ABLOY (acquired 2017)

August Home, Inc. is an American technology company that developed smart locks and connected home access products. The company produced consumer-oriented electronic deadbolts, smart adapters, and ecosystem software designed to integrate with mobile platforms and Internet of Things services. August Home sought to bridge traditional mechanical hardware with cloud-enabled services and third-party integrations to enable remote access, guest permissions, and home automation scenarios.

History

August Home was founded in 2012 by a team including Jason Johnson, Yves Behar, and Raaj Sethi during an era of rapid growth in connected device startups. The company's early activity intersected with events such as the growth of crowdfunding platforms and accelerator programs that supported hardware ventures. August Home participated in product showcases alongside companies like Nest Labs and Ring, and appeared at trade events where it was compared with entrants from companies such as Philips, Ecobee, and Belkin. In 2013 and 2014 August Home raised venture capital from investors in Silicon Valley and broader technology ecosystems, drawing attention amid funding rounds involving firms that also backed companies like Dropbox, Airbnb, and Uber.

In 2017 August Home was acquired by ASSA ABLOY, a global lock and access solutions group whose portfolio includes brands such as Yale and HID Global. The acquisition occurred in the context of consolidation in the smart home and security sectors that featured transactions by corporations including Amazon, Google, and Honeywell acquiring companies such as Ring, Nest, and Resideo portfolio companies. Post-acquisition, August Home continued product development while leveraging ASSA ABLOY’s manufacturing and distribution channels in markets served by companies like Schlage and Mul-T-Lock.

Products and Technology

August Home’s flagship product was a smart deadbolt designed to retrofit existing locks without replacing the exterior hardware, enabling remote locking and unlocking via Bluetooth and cloud services. The product ecosystem included a smart lock, a Wi‑Fi bridge (August Connect), and mobile applications for iOS and Android that provided time-limited access and activity logs. August integrated with platforms and services from companies such as Apple, Google, and Amazon to enable voice control through assistants like Siri, Google Assistant, and Alexa. The company also developed compatibility layers and partnerships for interoperability with smart home hubs and ecosystems from Samsung SmartThings, Wink, and Logitech.

August’s technology combined wireless protocols, mobile cryptography, and firmware designed to operate with mechanical devices produced by traditional lock manufacturers such as Yale and Schlage. Software features emphasized guest access management, geofencing, and integration with delivery and property management services, aligning August with businesses and services from Airbnb, DoorDash, and Uber’s mobility initiatives. August’s approach drew comparisons to other smart-home security offerings from companies like SimpliSafe, ADT, and Vivint.

August Home released multiple hardware iterations, including smaller form factors and retrofit adapters that preserved keyed entry on the exterior while automating the interior thumbturn. The company published APIs and worked with third-party developers and integrators to create services that used August’s access platform, similar to collaboration patterns seen with companies such as IFTTT, Ring, and Nest for ecosystem extensibility.

Corporate Structure and Leadership

The company operated as a privately held venture until acquisition and then as a brand within ASSA ABLOY’s residential segment. Leadership included founders and executives with backgrounds in design, hardware engineering, and software development; notable figures at the company were associated with product design studios and venture-backed startups in Silicon Valley and design hubs such as San Francisco and Palo Alto. After joining ASSA ABLOY, August’s organizational reporting aligned with corporate governance and operational frameworks used by multinational industrial groups like Honeywell and Bosch.

August’s executive team engaged with investor communities and industry forums alongside leaders from venture capital firms and corporate investors that had backed consumer electronics and smart home companies, comparable to those that invested in Fitbit, Sonos, and Ring. The company maintained engineering and customer support functions to serve North American and select international markets, coordinating logistics with manufacturing partners used by global hardware companies such as Foxconn and Flex.

Partnerships and Acquisitions

August formed strategic partnerships to expand platform compatibility and retail presence. The company collaborated with retail channels and e‑commerce platforms including Best Buy and Home Depot to reach end consumers, while also integrating with service platforms used by property managers and short‑term rental operators. August’s interoperability agreements included technology collaborations with Apple for HomeKit compatibility, and voice partnerships with Amazon and Google for assistant control.

Following acquisition by ASSA ABLOY, August leveraged the parent company’s existing relationships with legacy lock brands and distributors, creating cross-brand offerings that connected digital access services with established mechanical lock portfolios such as Yale and Mul‑T‑Lock. August’s business model overlapped with partnership strategies used by other connected-home firms that pursued channel and platform alliances, as seen in deals between Nest and Ecobee or Ring and ADT.

Market Performance and Reception

August Home received positive coverage for product design and user experience from technology press and consumer electronics reviewers that also covered products by Apple, Samsung, and Google. Analysts compared August’s retrofit approach favorably against full-replacement smart locks from competitors including Kwikset and Schlage. Critiques and regulatory scrutiny around privacy, security, and interoperability paralleled conversations taking place around companies such as Facebook, Google, and Amazon regarding data handling and voice platforms.

Commercially, August attained notable retail distribution and adoption in the smart-lock segment, contributing to ASSA ABLOY’s connected offerings amid a competitive landscape featuring startups and legacy security firms. Reviews often highlighted ease of installation, mobile app functionality, and third‑party integrations, while industry watchers tracked August’s performance alongside market movements from Ring, Nest, and Vivint in the broader home security and smart-home markets.

Category:Technology companies of the United States