The People Power Company (or simply, People Power) is an American

technology Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in medicine, science, ...

company and

software Software is a set of computer programs and associated documentation and data. This is in contrast to hardware, from which the system is built and which actually performs the work. At the lowest programming level, executable code consists ...

and

mobile app A mobile application or app is a computer program or software application designed to run on a mobile device such as a phone, tablet, or watch. Mobile applications often stand in contrast to desktop applications which are designed to run on d ...

creator headquartered in

Silicon Valley Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that serves as a global center for high technology and innovation. Located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, it corresponds roughly to the geographical areas San Mateo County ...

. It is, perhaps, best known as the creator of the "Presence" app, which allows unused

smart phones A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, which ...

and tablets to be turned into home monitoring devices and energy efficiency tools. Their products frequently employ "

Internet of Things The Internet of things (IoT) describes physical objects (or groups of such objects) with sensors, processing ability, software and other technologies that connect and exchange data with other devices and systems over the Internet or other comm ...

" (IoT) concepts and methodologies. People Power Company now delivers IoT services for consumer service providers including: *

China Mobile China Mobile is the trade name of both China Mobile Limited () and its ultimate controlling shareholder, China Mobile Communications Group Co., Ltd. (, formerly known as China Mobile Communications Corporation, "CMCC"), a Chinese state-ownedSt ...

, with more than 6 million subscribers * BGE (Baltimore Gas and Electric) *

PepCo The Potomac Electric Power Company (PEPCO) is an American utility company that supplies electric power to the city of Washington, D.C. and to surrounding communities in Maryland. It is owned by Exelon. The company's current trademarked slogan i ...

used in over 600 homes *

DelMarva The Delmarva Peninsula, or simply Delmarva, is a large peninsula and proposed state on the East Coast of the United States, occupied by the vast majority of the state of Delaware and parts of the Eastern Shore regions of Maryland and Virginia ...

used in over 1,000 homes

History

The People Power Company was founded by Gene Wang (

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

) and David Moss ( CTO) in

Palo Alto Palo Alto (; Spanish for "tall stick") is a charter city in the northwestern corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto. The city was estab ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

in January 2009 and officially launched in November 2009. Wang and Moss had previously worked at Bitfone, which was acquired by

Hewlett-Packard The Hewlett-Packard Company, commonly shortened to Hewlett-Packard ( ) or HP, was an American multinational information technology company headquartered in Palo Alto, California. HP developed and provided a wide variety of hardware components ...

. People Power was initially envisioned as a greentech company with a focus on energy efficiency. In 2013, the company released its "Presence" app, which is designed to turn older smartphones and tablets into home monitoring devices and sensors using the device's built-in camera. The Presence app also allows users to monitor and control third-party internet-connected appliances and electrical usage in their homes. The app was originally available for

iPad The iPad is a brand of iOS and iPadOS-based tablet computers that are developed by Apple Inc. The iPad was conceived before the related iPhone but the iPhone was developed and released first. Speculation about the development, operating s ...

, iPhone, and

iPod Touch The iPod Touch (stylized as iPod touch) is a discontinued line of iOS-based mobile devices designed and marketed by Apple Inc. with a touchscreen-controlled user interface. As with other iPod models, the iPod Touch can be used as a music pl ...

devices. In mid-2013, the company's Chief Scientist, John Teeter, was selected as a Presidential Innovation Fellow and worked at the

National Institute of Standards and Technology The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is an agency of the United States Department of Commerce whose mission is to promote American innovation and industrial competitiveness. NIST's activities are organized into physical sci ...

(NIST). He would go on to work on the Green Button Initiative, which is a program designed to allow home energy customers to access and download their energy usage data. In 2014, People Power began energy efficiency pilot programs in

Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of mainland Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer mont ...

and

Oahu Oahu () (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering place#Island of Oʻahu as The Gathering Place, Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over t ...

. These pilot programs provided a certain number of homes with the Presence app and several free "SmartPlugs," which were created by Monster Cable and can be connected to and controlled via Wi-Fi. In

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

, the results of the pilot program showed that homes could reduce their energy usage by about 10% per month. In September 2015, People Power received $4.4 million in a series B funding round led by

MediaTek MediaTek Inc. () is a Taiwanese fabless semiconductor company that provides chips for wireless communications, high-definition television, handheld mobile devices like smartphones and tablet computers, navigation systems, consumer multimedia pr ...

, bringing its total funding to $12 million. People Power also has a company band (the People Power Band) that plays a mix of covers and original songs. The band, which features Gene Wang on saxophone and David Moss on trumpet, has played at numerous "green" events and conferences including Earth Day SF and Earth Day on the

National Mall The National Mall is a Landscape architecture, landscaped park near the Downtown, Washington, D.C., downtown area of Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States. It contains and borders a number of museums of the Smithsonian Institut ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

The band has released two albums: ''Green Bandwagon'' and, in 2015, ''Powered Up''.

Products

People Power's most notable product is Presence, a home security and energy management app that can be utilized on otherwise unused iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, and Android devices through a Wi-Fi connection. The app was envisioned after co-founder Gene Wang's mother's home was burglarized. The goal of an earlier version of the app was to provide users with the ability to monitor and control energy usage. Both the security and the energy management functions are included in the app. The app starts recording video and/or audio when movement is detected, and users can program the app to send a video clip of the movement to their current smartphone. The app has also been used for home monitoring purposes (including as a

baby monitor A baby monitor, also known as a baby alarm, is a radio system used to remotely listen to sounds made by an infant. An audio monitor consists of a transmitter unit, equipped with a microphone, placed near to the child. It transmits the sounds by ...

). The Presence app also allows users to control third-party internet-connected products and appliances remotely. Users can create "if-this-then-that" rules to control energy usage in their homes. For example, they can set specific times for certain smart plugs to stay on or off. They can also manage things like the thermostat and appliances. The app informs the user how much electricity a certain plug is using at any given time.

Recognition and awards

In 2017, People Power was named in Gartner's annual "Cool Vendors in Connected Home, 2017" report that identifies technology vendors with innovative products and services that have genuine market impact. In 2015, the

Software and Information Industry Association The Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA) is a trade association dedicated to the entertainment, consumer and business software industries. Established in 1984 as the Software Publishers Association (SPA), the SIIA took its new na ...

awarded People Power with the Most Innovative and Overall NextGen Award in the "Mobile technology" category. Also in 2015, the company was awarded the 2015 Energy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Energy Efficient Technology Deployment by the Association of Energy Services Professionals (AESP). In 2012, the company won

AT&T AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest provider of mobile tel ...

's "Power the Future" award at CES 2012. In 2011,

Gigaom Gigaom is a technology focused analyst firm and media company. The company evolved from a blog which offered news, analysis, and opinions on startup companies, emerging technologies, and other technology related topics. It was started by Om Malik ...

named People Power one of the "10 Greentech Companies to Watch in 2011." In 2010, the company won a GE Ecomagination Challenge Award.

References

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External links

Official Website
Technology companies established in 2009 Technology companies based in the San Francisco Bay Area Companies based in Palo Alto, California Companies based in Silicon Valley 2009 establishments in California