Could this Tunisian connected home device challenge Google's Nest?

Tunisian entrepreneurs don’t seem to run short of ambition; Chifco is just more proof (others can be found here and here). The connected home startup is about to leave its beta version, with the backing of a major distribution partnership. The team is also about to announce a round that could reach €600,000. We sat down with Amine Chouaib, Chifco’s founder, to discuss the startup’s journey, and get some intel on what they have in store.

I met Amine in a Parisian café, a block away from the prestigious preparatory school he attended a decade ago. Amine’s lifelong dream has been to be an entrepreneur; so, in 2011, after obtaining two master’s degrees, one in engineering, and one in business, and working as a consultant in France, Amine started his company, Chifco.

A new approach to the connected home

Chifco offers a box that enables users to control and measure their house and appliances’ energy consumption.

To do so, users install sensors on the thermostats and electric outlets. The box gathers information from the sensors and provides information on the energy consumption of every device that’s plugged in, and on the heating system. The user can then compare the energy consumption of each device and room, estimate their bills, receive alerts when certain thresholds are reached, or create automatic actions, such as turning off lights after a certain hour, managing the thermostat on the go, or controlling plugged in devices.