Samsung SmartThings

Alex Hawkinson is a serial technology entrepreneur whose background in software and embedded systems led him to conceive of an open, cloud-based platform for connecting everyday objects to the internet. The idea crystallized in February 2011, when burst pipes flooded his unoccupied Colorado cabin during a power outage and went unnoticed for weeks, convincing him a home needed simple remote monitoring and control. He co-founded SmartThings in 2012 with Jeff Hagins and Andrew Brooks and served as CEO, raising venture funding and a notable Kickstarter campaign before Samsung acquired the company in 2014. He later founded other technology ventures, including the spatial-AI company SightCall and the company Filament.

Jeff Hagins was the technical co-founder and chief technology officer of SmartThings, which he started with Alex Hawkinson and Andrew Brooks in 2012 after the two began brainstorming a sensor package for second-home owners. A veteran software architect who had founded several earlier companies, he led the design of the SmartThings cloud platform and open developer ecosystem that let devices from many manufacturers interoperate. He guided the platform's engineering through Samsung's 2014 acquisition, helping establish SmartThings as one of the most widely supported cross-brand smart-home systems.