GROUND FLOOR: Cedar Rapids startup creates ‘smart’ home d�cor

CEDAR RAPIDS — As a child, John Raid was enthralled with the animated television program 'The Jetsons' and its depiction of Space Age household conveniences.

Today, Raid is pursuing his own vision of the home of the future.

'I want a home that can think so I don't have to take care of it so much,' he said.

Raid founded Cedar Rapids-based technology startup Ruminate to bring the average homeowner the convenience and security of a high-tech home through a basic element of home décor: a table lamp.

A Ruminate lamp is a smart lamp with embedded electronics and WiFi connectivity. Not only does the lamp learn when to turn itself on and off, it gives the homeowner remote home monitoring capability through features like a motion sensor, microphone and temperature sensor.

The lamp also can be programmed to send email or text notifications when certain events occur, like someone entering the home unexpectedly or an unusual drop in temperature.

'My lamp sends me an email when my son gets home from school in the afternoon,' Raid noted. 'That notification is important to me. It helps me feel a little more connected to home when I can't be there.'

Raid holds a master of science degree in systems engineering and has 18 years of experience working as an engineer in the aerospace, transportation, and telecommunications industries.

He first developed the idea for his smart lamp while completing the executive M.B.A. program at the University of Iowa last year. He built a prototype lamp using reclaimed wood and pitched the product to his class as part of a school project.

That pitch led to his first two sales – to his classmates.

After launching Ruminate, Raid submitted his idea to Nest, a home automation company owned by Google. He was one of 11 developers invited to participate in 'A Day of Thoughtful Things,' an event last November hosted by Google Ventures and venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers in San Francisco.

'I spent the day at Google, and it was amazing,' Raid said. 'I got to pitch to [Nest founders] Tony Fadell and Matt Rogers and got great feedback on the technology.'

Raid is still waiting to hear whether Ruminate will receive funding or other support from Nest, but expects an announcement in March. In the meantime, he is offering his smart lamps for sale via the Ruminate website.

At a Glance

• Owner: John Raid
• Business: Ruminate
• Email: john@ruminatelamp.com
• Phone: (319) 431-6864
• Website:

  www.ruminatelamp.com

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