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Peel Technologies Smart Remote
Mobile app for universal smart remote control
About Peel Technologies Smart Remote
Peel Technologies, founded in 2009 by Bala Krishnan and Thiru Arunachalam, developed the Peel Smart Remote, a mobile application that turns smartphones and tablets into universal remotes. The app used a device's built-in IR blaster or WiFi to control TVs, set-top boxes, and other smart home appliances. It offered features like a TV program guide with personalized recommendations based on viewing habits, social sharing, and the ability to set viewing reminders. The company's business model included pre-installing the app on devices from major manufacturers like Samsung and HTC, where it was sometimes named "WatchOn," "Smart Remote," or "SenseTV." This strategy helped Peel achieve a rapid user base expansion, reaching over 120 million users by 2015. The company generated revenue through advertising.
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The company raised a total of $86.7 million over five funding rounds, with a significant Series D funding of $50 million from lead investor Alibaba Group in 2014. Other investors included Redpoint Ventures, TransLink Capital, and Harrison Metal. Over the years, Peel faced significant criticism for its aggressive advertising model, which included lock screen and full-screen overlay ads that many users considered intrusive and likened to adware. In 2019, the app was removed from the Google Play Store following reports of privacy issues and violations of ad policies. Despite its controversial later years, the company stated it completed a profitable exit and the app is now exclusively available through the Samsung Store.
Latest news
Press, funding announcements and product moves mentioning Peel Technologies Smart Remote.
Funding history
Company financing events and reported valuations.
| Deal type | Date | Amount | Valuation | Investors | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SERIES DOther financing | Oct 2014 | $50M | $200M | Alibaba | — |
| SERIES COther financing | Apr 2013 | $20M | $80M | TransLink Capital | — |
Growth signals
Latest recorded traffic for Peel Technologies Smart Remote is 1.5K monthly website visits, down 63.4% over the last three months. Peel Technologies Smart Remote's team grew 5.1% over the past year.
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Investors
From Dealroom's funding and investor records, grouped by the round each investor first entered.
Seed2 investors entered at this stage
Harrison Metal
Clear Ventures
Series A2 investors entered at this stage
Series B and later2 investors entered at this stage
TransLink Capital
Alibaba
Source: Dealroom Talent Intelligence.
Global footprint
team presence
Market sentiment
An AI-synthesised read of the highest-engagement posts about Peel Technologies Smart Remote on X, ranked by likes and reposts, corporate channels excluded.
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