SmartThings’ effort to power the connected home gets a big $12.5M boost

As the number of connected devices continues to climb, someone needs to create ways for all of them to talk to each other. And that someone is SmartThings.

The company, which creates a $100 hub for smart devices, has a pretty simple premise: The only way to unlock  the true possibilities of the connected home is to ensure ultimate cross-compatibility between every device —  regardless of who makes them.

That’s an attractive idea, and it’s what’s led to SmartThings collecting $12.5 million in a Series A round led by Greylock and Highland Capital.

In a post on the SmartThings blog, CEO Alex Hawkinson says the company plans to use the funding to not only improve SmartThings as a product, but also expand its retail reach beyond just Amazon and its own website.

Likewise, Hawkinson says the company plans to advance its “vision to be the definitive open platform,” which, again, is one of its driving forces.

“We will continue to embrace and expand upon the thousands of developers, device makers, and service providers who are committed to working together to make the world smarter,” Hawkinson wrote.