Hyko
Hyko (CareToSave B.V.) builds a connected polar-bear device paired with a current-clamp sensor and mobile apps that gamify household electricity monitoring for families, while offering branded energy-awareness content to utility partners such as Stedin.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersAmsterdam, Netherlands
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Hyko does
Hyko (legal entity CareToSave B.V.) is a Dutch social enterprise founded in 2014, originally in Oslo and later relocated to Amsterdam, that builds a connected consumer-hardware system for visualizing and gamifying household electricity consumption. The product suite centers on Hyko Bear, a sculptural connected polar bear that displays real-time consumption through color-coded emotional states (happy/neutral/sad), and Hyko Senses, a current-clamp sensor that clips onto the main cable of an electricity meter and transmits data wirelessly to the bear at 868 MHz (advertised to penetrate three floors). The companion Hyko World App (iOS/Android) provides usage visualization, tips, goals, missions, and competitions, while Hyko Cloud stores energy profiles and is designed for future integration with weather services and third-party IoT devices; both are offered at no subscription fee. A separate Hyko's Adventure interactive iPad storybook app (33 pages) extends the brand into children's narrative around climate and energy awareness, and is the vehicle for a strategic partnership with Dutch grid operator Stedin.
The company goes to market predominantly direct-to-consumer via its own website, supplemented by app-store distribution and a 2015 Dutch crowdfunding campaign on Doorgraan.nl that raised roughly €65,000. Monetization is essentially hardware-only: pricing for the Hyko Bear + Hyko Senses bundle is not publicly disclosed and the site still shows a "coming soon / notify me" early-bird signup, while cloud and app services are free. The customer base is bifurcated between a long tail of families with children (the primary persona) and a small set of enterprise/utility relationships led by Stedin. Total disclosed external funding is modest (a ~$124K Technology Development Fund investment, ~€65K crowdfunding, a ~$56K SpeedUP! Europe instrument, and accelerator support from Rockstart), the company operates with 1-10 employees, and holds registered trademarks for Hyko, Hyko Bear, and CareToSave.
Hyko firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Hyko
- Legal name
- CareToSave B.V.
- Website
- https://hyko.co
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Hyko (CareToSave B.V.) builds a connected polar-bear device paired with a current-clamp sensor and mobile apps that gamify household electricity monitoring for families, while offering branded energy-awareness content to utility partners such as Stedin.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Hyko industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Smart Home Energy Monitoring
- NAICS
- Automatic Environmental Control Manufacturing for Residential, Commercial, and Appliance Use (334512), Small Electrical Appliance Manufacturing (33521)
- SIC
- Auto Controls For Regulating Residential & Comml Environments (3822), Electric Housewares & Fans (3634)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Home Energy & EV Charging (HEMS, Smart Meters, Batteries, Chargers) (HSAPAQAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Smart Energy Management (Meters, EV Chargers, Solar/Battery Monitors) Retail (CRACAGAI), Home Automation Hub/Platform Integration for Electrical & HVAC (e.g., HomeKit/Google/Alexa) (HSAOANAI)
Keywords
Where Hyko is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Amsterdam
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Hyko business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Hardware Sales: Sale of Hyko Bear device and Hyko Senses sensor unit as a physical product bundle. Customers purchase the connected device for home energy monitoring.
- Hyko Cloud Services: Cloud data storage and analysis services provided free to hardware customers. No subscription fees for basic cloud functionality.
- Mobile App Distribution: Hyko's Adventure interactive storybook app offered free for download on iOS. Future Android version planned.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Hardware Package (Hyko Bear + Hyko Senses) |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Hyko product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Hyko sells a connected smart-home energy awareness system: a glowing polar bear device (Hyko Bear) paired with a clip-on current-clamp sensor (Hyko Senses) that measures household electricity consumption in real time and communicates consumption state through emotional color coding. The hardware bundle ships with the Hyko World mobile app for iOS/Android and free Hyko Cloud storage, and is supported by a separate interactive iPad storybook app (Hyko's Adventure) designed to teach children about climate and energy.
Product overview
Hyko is a family-focused energy awareness product suite consisting of four interconnected products: Hyko Bear (a smart connected polar bear that visualizes electricity consumption through color coding), Hyko Senses (a current-clamp electricity measurement device), Hyko World App (a mobile application for tracking and gamification), and Hyko Cloud (a free data storage and analysis service). Additionally, Hyko's Adventure is a separate interactive iPad storybook app designed to teach children about energy conservation and climate change. The main product package (Hyko Bear + Hyko Senses + Cloud + App) works together to help households monitor and reduce their energy consumption in a playful, gamified manner.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Hyko Bear A smart connected glowing polar bear sculpture that visualizes a household's electricity consumption in real time through emotional color coding (happy, neutral, sad). Connects via Bluetooth Low Energy to mobile devices, runs on micro USB power, auto-adjusts brightness when no one is around, and supports multiple visualization modes.
- Hyko Senses A current-clamp electricity sensor that clips over the main cable of an electricity meter for non-intrusive installation. Wirelessly transmits consumption data to Hyko Bear on an 868 MHz signal capable of penetrating up to 3 floors, powered by 2 AA batteries, and works with all common meter types up to 50m distance.
- Hyko World App Mobile and tablet application for iOS and Android that visualizes household energy usage, offers tips and suggestions, lets users set goals and missions, and enables competitions, comparisons, and gamification. Also controls the Hyko Bear device.
- Hyko Cloud Cloud backend that stores energy profiles and usage patterns, performs analysis, and enables integration with weather services and other IoT products. Free for Hyko hardware customers with no subscription fees.
- Hyko's Adventure Interactive storybook app for iPad featuring 33 pages about a polar bear named Hyko, with read-along voice-over, highlighted words, and touch interactions, designed to teach children about climate change and energy awareness.
Quantifiable outcome
- Parents report children spontaneously sharing Hyko with neighbors and teaching others about energy conservation
Companies that use Hyko
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Hyko technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Hyko partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- StedincoreDutch grid operator Stedin partnered with CareToSave as part of their sustainability initiative. Hyko's Adventure app is part of this cooperation to help younger generations play their part in the energy transition by raising awareness about energy consumption. Stedin supports decentralized and cooperative sustainable energy systems.
- Doorgaan.nlminorDutch crowdfunding platform used by Hyko for their crowdfunding campaign from May 21 to July 7, 2015. Campaign successfully raised 101% of its €65,000 goal with support from dozens of individual backers.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Hyko competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Sense: Sense sells a whole-home energy monitor that pairs with a mobile app to disaggregate appliance-level usage in real time. It is the closest direct competitor to Hyko's bear + clamp + app approach to consumer energy awareness.
- Emporia Energy: Emporia offers clamp-based energy monitors and a mobile app that visualize household consumption, often paired with solar inverters. Comparable to Hyko in hardware-plus-app delivery for residential energy monitoring.
- Smappee: Smappee provides current-clamp home energy monitors with cloud dashboards and energy-disaggregation features. Directly comparable hardware-centric residential monitoring model.
- Curb: Curb makes a panel-installed energy monitor with a smartphone app for appliance-level consumption tracking in U.S. homes. Similar product architecture (sensor + cloud + app) targeting residential households.
- Neurio (Generac): Neurio, now part of Generac, offers home energy monitoring sensors that feed a mobile app showing real-time and appliance-level usage. Directly comparable residential monitoring product.
Emerging players
- Bidgely: Bidgely provides AI-driven appliance-level energy disaggregation primarily sold to utilities, not consumers directly. Comparable technology stack but a B2B go-to-market instead of Hyko's DTC route.
Broad incumbents
- Tado°: Tado° is a European smart-home climate-control company (thermostats, radiator valves, AC control) with an app that influences household energy behavior. Overlaps with Hyko's energy-awareness mission in a European market.
- Schneider Electric (Wiser Energy): Schneider Electric's Wiser Energy offers whole-home energy monitors and a broader home-energy ecosystem as part of a global electrical-equipment portfolio. Comparable functionality, vastly larger distribution and resources.
- Google Nest (Renew / Energy program): Google Nest thermostats and the Nest Renew energy-shift program integrate household energy awareness into a platform-level smart-home experience. Represents the platform-competition risk Hyko faces from large incumbents.
Regional players
- Tibber: Tibber is a Nordic/Dutch digital energy retailer that pairs a smart meter plug-in (Tibber Pulse) with an app to show real-time consumption. Comparable Dutch/Nordic presence and app-driven energy-awareness positioning.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Hyko social profiles
Digital presenceHyko compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Hyko financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Hyko leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Hyko funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors5 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Hyko M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Hyko
What does Hyko do?
Hyko sells a connected smart-home energy awareness system: a glowing polar bear device (Hyko Bear) paired with a clip-on current-clamp sensor (Hyko Senses) that measures household electricity consumption in real time and communicates consumption state through emotional color coding. The hardware bundle ships with the Hyko World mobile app for iOS/Android and free Hyko Cloud storage, and is supported by a separate interactive iPad storybook app (Hyko's Adventure) designed to teach children about climate and energy.
Is Hyko a public or private company?
Hyko is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Hyko founded?
Hyko was founded in 2014. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Hyko based?
Hyko is headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does Hyko make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Hardware Sales are the primary driver. The others are hyko Cloud Services and mobile App Distribution.
Who are Hyko's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Sense, Emporia Energy, Smappee, Curb and Neurio (Generac). Bidgely is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Tado°, Schneider Electric (Wiser Energy) and Google Nest (Renew / Energy program). Tibber is listed as a regional player.
Does Hyko have an API?
No public API is recorded for Hyko.
What industry is Hyko in?
Hyko's product category is Smart Home Energy Monitoring. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSAPAQAF, Home Energy & EV Charging (HEMS, Smart Meters, Batteries, Chargers), with a secondary code of CRACAGAI, Smart Energy Management (Meters, EV Chargers, Solar/Battery Monitors) Retail. Its NAICS code is 334512 and its SIC code is 3822.