KeyMe Locksmiths is a technology company that provides robotic kiosks for new
key duplication, locksmith services, and an app for copying keys.
Company history
The company was founded by Greg Marsh in 2012, who developed the idea after he had a difficult experience getting his home's
locks changed.
Marsh now serves as the company's CEO.
The company is based in
New York City.
Key duplication
KeyMe's mobile app at one time, had users digitally scan their keys, the scans of which were then stored in the
cloud. That data was then sent to physical
kiosks
Historically, a kiosk () was a small garden pavilion open on some or all sides common in Persia, the Indian subcontinent, and in the Ottoman Empire from the 13th century onward. Today, several examples of this type of kiosk still exist i ...
, where new copies of those keys could be fabricated. Kiosks can also scan keys inserted directly into a scanning apparatus. The machinery in the kiosks can quickly reproduce
brass keys,
key fobs, and
car keys both with and without
transponders. The kiosks are located in various cities across the United States, generally alongside a box retailer, grocery store, or corner store. Originally kiosks would only allow access to keys via a finger print scan. Keys can also be delivered by mail.
Some commentators have mentioned concerns that the app could potentially allow people to copy keys other than their own, since only a few seconds of physical access to a key is required to scan it. The number of KeyMe kiosks in 2016 was about two hundred, which had fabricated about one million keys at that time, and by 2020 the company had over 4,000 kiosks in retailers such as
Kroger,
Ikea
IKEA (; ) is a Dutch multinational conglomerate based in the Netherlands that designs and sells , kitchen appliances, decoration, home accessories, and various other goods and home services. Started in 1943 by Ingvar Kamprad, IKEA has been t ...
, and
Rite-Aid.
In 2021, a jury in
Marshall, Texas unanimously concluded that KeyMe did not infringe any patent claims of The Hillman Group, which had sued KeyMe in the
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. US District Judge
James Rodney Gilstrap
James Rodney Gilstrap (born May 1, 1957) is the United States federal judge, Chief United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. He is notable for presiding over more than one quarter of all ...
presided over the trial.
Funding
KeyMe Locksmiths raised $300K in angel funding from
Ravin Gandhi
Ravin Gandhi is an American businessman. Gandhi was an executive with Coatings and Chemicals Corporation before its sale to Akzo Nobel. He later founded Glenborn Partners, a private equity firm, and GMM Nonstick Coatings, where he remained its C ...
in 2012. KeyMe raised $2.3 million in seed funding in 2013 from
Battery Ventures and then another $7.8 million in its Series A funding round in 2014. In 2016 the company received $20 million in Series B venture financing,
a round led by Comcast Ventures and including investors
7-Eleven
7-Eleven, Inc., stylized as 7-ELEVE, is a multinational chain of retail convenience stores, headquartered in Dallas, Texas. The chain was founded in 1927 as an ice house storefront in Dallas. It was named Tote'm Stores between 1928 and 1946. A ...
and Ravin Gandhi. The company then raised $15 million in their Series C round and $25 million in their Series D round.
The company received $50 million in further funding in 2019 and $35 million in 2020.
References
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2012 establishments