Monday Interview: Leeds startup developing security for the Xbox generation

COCOON started out with five digital entrepreneurs, aiming to create a home security device for the digital generation, first launched following an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign in 2014.

The company is becoming a figurehead for Leeds’ digital credentials. Now based at The Calls, brought four colleagues from Humyo, a Dropbox-type company back together, which was sold to Trend Micro, a security software company, in 2010.

Colin Richardson, Nick Gregory, John Berthels and Dan Conlon were then joined by Sanjay Parekh, head of commercial, who spoke to TheBusinessDesk.com.

Mr Parekh had already built up a web-based entertainment and travel expenses business, and sold it in 2013, before going on to mentor startups at incubator Dotforge and with Virgin.

“This idea for Cocoon started to formulate once we had left our former businesses,” Mr Parekh said, “from problems we had ourselves with normal security: alarms going off randomly; forgetting codes to keypad; frustration with 1970’s technology. We’d thought about the problems, but not potential changes until this point.

“The trend was starting to emerge, which saw people transition from using dozens of devices to just one smart device. Lots of software emerged that provides features you wouldn’t expect. The best example is obviously the mobile phone – nowadays it’s something pretty amazing because of the software behind it.

“I saw this change happening, and at that time, met Dan mentoring at Dotforge in Sheffield,” he said.

Mr Conlon said that he and his colleagues had been working on this home security idea for a month and Mr Parekh joined forces with what was to become the Cocoon senior management team at that early genesis of idea.

“We thought, we should start a business to try and fix this.”

With Mr Parekh in commercial and software, along with Mr Berthels, Mr Conlon taking over product management, and Mr Richardson taking a head of marketing position, they covered all areas needed for a startup between them.

Together, they developed a single device that can protect the whole home, using technology developed in house that can sense movement through walls and ceilings using infrasound, which is below the level of human hearing, a low frequency that can detect movement through the air. It can be connected to smartphones, and the one device can protect the whole house.

“We can fingerprint those infrasound patters,” said Mr Patekh, “and the device can learn and understand what an empty house sounds like compared to an occupied home. It knows the difference and when it learns the times that the house is expected to be empty, but a sound pattern suggests movement, we will alert you.”

These learning capabilities are backed up by a virtual fence surrounding the home, a HD camera, encrypted video clips and the ability to feed through live video to your phone.

It might be hard to believe that this Silicon Valley-esque firm is based a stone’s throw from Leeds city centre, but, said Mr Parekh: “The Calls is an up-and-coming part of the city centre. We could have started up in London but we all wanted a better quality of life, and to live within a reasonable commute, something which London can’t provide these days.

“We have all had businesses before and have extensive experience behind us, so one thing we’ve done is invest in a decent office from the beginning, not all startups have this luxury but hiring people that produce high quality work, they want to work in a good environment.

The company employs 22 at its base on The Calls, and is looking to have another 8 employed by October.

“That was a good choice of candidates,” said Mr Parekh, “There are lots of people from the Leeds area and we can draw them from other towns.

“Leeds will never be London but we shouldn’t worry about it, we should worry about telling our own story, and encourage businesses outside Leeds to come here for the same reasons we’re based here.”

With the growth of digital hubs, events like the Leeds Digital Festival and Leeds City Council’s emphasis on the digital agenda, there is a growing narrative around what’s happening in Leeds.

“People will get a better idea of what talent and opportunities there are here to start a business. A successful cluster needs a multitude of things, from a lifestyle as well as a business perspective, and Leeds has all of those things – we just need to make sure people know about it.”