hiku

Hiku Labs, founded in 2012 by Rob Katcher and Rajan Bala, developed a connected device aimed at simplifying grocery shopping for families. The company, based in San Jose, California, introduced a physical product called the hiku, a small, magnetic puck-like device for the kitchen. This hardware featured a barcode scanner and a microphone, allowing users to either scan a product's barcode or speak its name to add it to a digital shopping list on a companion mobile app.

The core business revolved around selling this hardware, which was designed to be simple enough for anyone in a household to use, making it easier to maintain an up-to-date, shared shopping list. The business model was centered on the one-time sale of the hiku device, initially priced at $79. Revenue was also anticipated from selling consumption data to retailers. The product worked by connecting to a home's Wi-Fi network and syncing with an iOS application, with an Android version planned. The physical device was designed to be durable and water-resistant, with a rechargeable battery lasting approximately two months.

A key feature of the hiku system was its crowdsourcing capability for its product database. If a barcode wasn't recognized, a user could speak the product's name, and the system would associate that name with the code, adding it to a cloud-based database for all users. Over its life, the company released a second-generation device with improved scanning and voice recognition. Hiku Labs also established partnerships with online grocery services like Walmart Online Grocery and Peapod, allowing users to send their lists directly to these retailers for purchase and delivery or pickup. Despite raising $3.95 million in funding from investors including Jerry Yang, the founder of Yahoo, Hiku Labs struggled with establishing an efficient distribution channel and was eventually shut down.

Keywords: Hiku Labs, Rob Katcher, smart shopping, grocery list gadget, barcode scanner, voice recognition, kitchen technology, connected device, digital shopping list, family organization, Walmart Online Grocery, Peapod integration, consumer electronics, IoT, smart home, grocery tech, shopping assistant, mobile shopping app, e-commerce integration, product scanning