6.12.18
Resin.io and Soracom, Inc. today announced an expansion to their partnership and plans to develop further integrations between their IoT products and services. Resin also announced $5 million in additional financing led by Soracom and parent company KDDI Corporation to support the partnership.
Resin.io is a leader in the use of Linux containers and other modern cloud technologies to develop, deploy, scale and manage fleets of connected devices in the Internet of Things (IoT). Soracom is a leading global platform for IoT connectivity, providing cloud-native wireless connectivity for over 10,000 customers around the world.
Resin.io and Soracom both address critical needs for developers building and deploying IoT solutions, and the companies already share customers in areas such as smart buildings and agriculture. Future collaboration will include work to integrate Soracom’s connectivity solutions with resin.io’s software management platform, as well as joint hardware solutions that will enable seamless cellular connectivity for IoT devices.
“Soracom’s mission, to make the connected world of IoT a reality, requires a broad and robust ecosystem of software and service providers,” said Kenta Yusakawa, co-founder and CTO of Soracom. “Resin.io dramatically lowers the barrier for developers who are already familiar with cloud and web development to deploy software onto IoT devices. Joining forces between both platforms accelerates successful IoT projects.”
“Resin.io has succeeded by delivering a platform that helps developers manage the many challenges of building and deploying software to devices on the edge,” said Alexandros Marinos, founder and CEO of resin.io. “At the same time, Soracom has solved the problem of providing simple and secure connectivity for edge devices. Taken together, these solutions provide developers with critical infrastructure for their IoT projects, freeing up organizations to focus on building their fleets and growing their business.”
The investment is the first from the Soracom IoT Fund Program, a component of the KDDI Open Innovation Fund III recently launched by KDDI Corporation, Soracom’s parent company and Japan’s second-largest telecommunication service provider. The mission of the Soracom Fund is to identify and support innovative companies advancing the state-of-the-art in IoT.
“KDDI is drawing on the expertise in its group of companies to make strategic investments in areas like AI and IoT that are poised for growth in the 5G era,” said Daichi Funato, co-founder and COO of Soracom. “Our role at Soracom is to identify key builders of the global IoT infrastructure and help accelerate their growth both with funding and enhanced collaboration. Resin.io has pioneered the use of containers as the software vehicle for constrained devices and proven that they play a big role in successful IoT strategies.”
The $5 million financing includes participants in two previous equity rounds totaling $12 million, including DFJ, GE Ventures, and Aspect Ventures.