Estimote

• http://estimote.com

Estimote, Inc. is a technology start-up building a sensor-based analytics and engagement platform.

They develop what they like to call an operating system for physical locations -- one that will change how people run businesses in the physical world and how consumers interact with real world products and venues.

Their primary area of interest at the moment is brick and mortar retail stores. More than 95 percent of transactions worldwide are still made in physical venues. In addition, more than half of consumers visiting stores have smartphones, and that number is growing rapidly.

Thanks to popular communication technologies such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, they have a new opportunity to understand how people behave and engage with products in stores. New data and communication technology can be used to improve customer experience, bringing in new revenue streams for retail stores or cutting their costs. They call it smart retail.

They are currently piloting their solutions with the largest retailers in the United States and Europe. They have also launched preorder sales of their Developer Kits, which consist of sample beacon devices, as well as their SDK, which enables mobile developers and retail consulting agencies to add micro-location context to their mobile apps.