Apple debuted its “There’s an app for that” slogan in 2009 and even trademarked the phrase, and while the line itself was quickly overused, the truth of it remains—as does the aggravation when trying to make numerous internet-connected devices actually work.
“If someone’s home has a pool, the pool has an app. The garage door has an app, the thermostat has an app, plus all the smart appliances, and most people aren’t even using them to their full capability,” said Hagan Kappler. “We’ve gotten so used to how annoying technology can be, but it should all work.”
Enter Daisy, the company Kappler co-founded last year to simplify smart home and office technology—and make sure it performs as advertised. With the launch this week of its franchise program, Daisy announced Matt Walin as its first franchisee as he converts his Brilliant AV business in Costa Mesa, California, to Daisy. The company also acquired an integration company serving Connecticut’s Fairfield County, and Kappler said two more deals are set to close in the coming days as Daisy moves through a pipeline of some 30 independent companies that are looking to convert or join Daisy via acquisition.
Hagan Kappler is the co-founder and CEO of Daisy, which announced its franchise program February 19. Kappler sat down with Franchise Times during the International Franchise Association Convention in Phoenix.
Kappler, who’s held leadership roles at top national brands including ServiceMaster Clean, Merry Maids, Starbucks, Terminix, Trane and Club Car, was the CEO of home services franchise platform company Threshold Brands before departing in early 2023 to create Daisy.
Ten years ago, while working in corporate strategy and development at Ingersoll Rand, Kappler said she began thinking about the potential of the connected home market and the need for a solution to address common pain points for consumers and tech installers and integrators alike.
“It always seemed like, from a consumer perspective, it should be easier,” she said. After deep research and through the assembly of an experienced leadership team, she identified a “$30 billion market in the smart home space and no national brand.”
Denver-based SaaviHome, a smart home technology integration service company founded in 2004, began franchising last year with a focus on Arizona, Colorado, Nevada and Utah.
“We’re one of the first to do a more national buildout with national aspirations,” said Kappler as she noted Daisy now has operations on both coasts and a robust support center encompassing client, product, talent, technician and sales support, plus business coaching and acquisition guidance.
Daisy completed a seed funding round last fall. The company is venture capital-backed and also has some angel investors from among Kappler’s network of franchise industry leaders and private equity and investment banking contacts.
“I really wanted to make sure we had patient capital so we could take the time and care without the added pressure of a liquidity event,” said Kappler, also Daisy’s chief executive.
Her leadership team includes former executives from ServiceMaster, Terminix and Best Buy, and she brought on Mai Pham, Crumbl Cookies’ chief growth officer, as Daisy’s chief marketing officer. That marketing component, said Kappler, is of major importance because “people don’t even know this type of service can exist.”
“But the consumer really needs a lot more help with the technology in their home,” she continued, likening the service style Daisy provides to that of other home services such as lawn care or housecleaning. “We become the curator of technology in their home.”
Daisy’s tech solutions cover home entertainment, security, lighting and blinds, smart Wi-Fi and whole home control systems. The company is focused initially on expansion in high-growth areas and markets with a large population of high-net-worth individuals who “want their homes to be connected.”