Like most good startup stories, Harbor began life as a product of disappointment. Kevin Lavelle, the co-founder and CEO of innovative clothing company Mizzen and Mai , couldn’t find a baby monitor to suit his needs. He and his wife, Jen, had homed in on Nanit, a popular product renowned for its AI smarts and and breathing detection.
“We built Harbor because we were frustrated with products that overpromised and underdelivered when it came to safety and usability,” Lavelle says. In particular, he cites and instance in which Nanit’s app crashed on him. He woke up the next morning the find that the monitor hadn’t done its job overnight.
Lavelle started Harbor in August 2022 with former Stratis Chief Innovation Officer Charlie Hill, who now serves as the new firm’s chief product officer.
Image Credits: Harbor
The Harbor hardware’s major selling point is that it doesn’t rely on apps or an internet connection, which introduces its own pain points. Instead, the system consists of a 2K camera that produces its own Wi-Fi signal, allowing it to connect directly to the 10-inch tablet it’s bundled with.
The system can also travel with your family, allowing you to set it up without having to connect to unreliable hotel Wi-Fi. Harbor charges an annual fee of $336 for the service.
Harbor recently closed a seed round with a $4 million raise. Combined with a spring fundraising close, the round totals $7 million. The investors are an interesting lot. Trust Ventures led the round, which also featured Tim Ferriss, Morrison Seger Venture Capital Partners, a retired tennis player, and the current punter for the New York Jets.
Image Credits: Harbor
“Having seen so many of my friends struggle with baby monitors and sleep with young kids, I’m excited for true innovation that solves real long-standing pain points,” Ferris says in a release. “There is a large market for a simple, smooth, and — under the hood — sophisticated solution.
The other interesting piece of Harbor’s play is decidedly more tradition. The startup employs remote “night nannies.” The company writes: “Harbor replicates the expertise and all night guidance of in-home night nannies for a fraction of the price. Parents who sign up for this service are taken through a robust onboarding. Each night, parents grant access to their Harbor camera and monitor, ensuring our infant care and sleep experts can let parents rest easy but receive failsafe notifications whenever they are needed.”
The service is optional, but it requires a Harbor membership to use.