With sale to Amazon, doorbell start-up Ring goes from 'Shark Tank' reject to L.A. tech scene's latest success

If Amazon succeeds in turning Alexa into the brains of the modern smart home, then Ring will provide the eyes.

In a deal that expands Amazon's network of internet-connected household gadgets — and with it, the e-commerce giant's reach into customers' homes — the Seattle company has agreed to buy Ring, a Santa Monica maker of high-tech doorbells, for a reported $1 billion.

Ring doorbells are already being used by 2 million customers. Its improbable success comes five years after its founder, serial entrepreneur Jamie Siminoff, was rejected on the TV show "Shark Tank."

But the company proved there was demand for video-enabled doorbells, which enable users to see outside their homes via smartphone or computer. The technology provides a sense of security and a salve for one of the most nagging problems in the e-commerce era: package thieves.

Source: latimes