Connected car platform, Vinili announced it has completed a $6.5 million Series A financing led by Samsung Venture Investment Corporation. Cox Automotive (owner of Auto Trader/Kelley Blue Book), The Westly Group, and Continental (auto supplier) also provided funding.
Vinli is a OBD-II port device with connected car data services that offers Wi-Fi hotspots. Vinli provides car diagnostics, vehicle tracking, teen driver monitoring, maintenance reminders, road side assistance, home automation and an App Store with SmartThings, Dash, MileIQ, ParkHub, SafeDrive, and Flo. When the OBD-II port device is released in late summer more than 150 apps are expected.
Other available features include eCall with texts or calls to loved ones in case of collisions.
Vinili will market its services to the over 253 million cars are on the road with an average age of 11 years that don’t have data connections. 52% of new cars sold in the U.S. in 2014 had some form of connectivity.
The Vinli WiFi hotspot uses the T-Mobile network and offers speeds of 30MB up/down with 1GB on-demand data for $15 or 3GB on-demand data for $40. Unlimited data plans are in the works and not announced yet.
There is a $30/year subscription fee for data, optional charges will apply for upgrades to premium Vinli apps and services.
The Wi-Fi hotspot is unique to Vinli compared to Automatic ($99) which uses Bluetooth, mojio($149 free AT&T cellular data service first year then $4.99 mo.) and zubie ($99 a-year/first year free/$99 a year after that.)
Vinli was developed Dialexa Labs in Dallas, Texas. The company debuted at TechCrunch Disrupt in 2014. Vinli is currently being manufactured and expected to ship in August 2015.
Director of Strategic Investments at Samsung Global Innovation Center, Luis Arbulu, and Vice President of New Ventures for Cox Automotive, David Liniado, will join Vinli’s Board of Directors.
Vinli devices can be preordered through Indiegogo for $99.