Smart lighting startup Deako unveils plug-and-play lighting system for home-builders, raises $4M

Seattle smart lighting startup Deako has raised $4 million as it begins to roll out a new “modular” system designed to make it easier and cheaper for home-builders to install high tech fixtures. Deako develops smart switches that let people control lights in their house via touch, smartphone app, or a smart speaker like Amazon Echo or Google Home. Its technology works off a home’s existing wiring and provides smart lighting capability without requiring smart lightbulbs. Deako’s customers are not home-buyers but rather home-builders and their electricians, who install the hardware in new and remodeled homes.