Google Alums Are Building A Retail Hub For Future Tech

It usually takes a few years after a technology makes its way into developers’ hands for a consumer version to be ready for the public. However, it then takes a little bit, and sometimes even longer, for enough people to adopt the sometimes disruptive tech, but one startup is looking to make that familiarization process a little bit easier.

Re/code reported that b8ta, a Silicon Valley startup focused on gadgets that incorporate IoT fundamentals, is opening up its own retail storefront in Palo Alto. While it’s primarily a way to educate customers about its products and their functionalities, b8ta’s store can also stock new products from the retailer’s online store on physical shelves within a handful of days, giving it a slight but important advantage over competitors.

Phillip Raub, cofounder of b8ta and former head of channel marketing at Nest, told Re/code that the heart of the store lies in convincing b8ta’s manufacturing partners to get their devices out of sealed boxes and into the hands of consumers to drive sales.

“Are you going to be comfortable playing in someone’s sandbox?” Raub said. “You still are in somebody else’s home. We wanted to make sure that the product was truly the hero.”

B8ta’s Palo Alto “showroom” has about 60 devices on display, ranging from in-home IoT thermostats to portable gadgets. And however gimmicky it might be, CEO Vibhu Norby is committed to making IoT in the hands of would-be customers a successful experiment for b8ta’s business.

“This is not designed to be a loss leader,” Norby told Re/code. “It’s a real business.”

Whether success is defined by gross sales or intangible interest drummed up by b8ta’s publicity boost, Norby can’t be faulted for trying to make IoT less of a buzzword and more of a reality for the average consumer — in Silicon Valley, at least.