The Concept Behind the Pyllr Trio

The Pyllr Trio came from two simple questions.

Where are the matches?

That’s what I asked myself as I frantically searched my kitchen drawers for a matchbook. I wanted to set the ambiance for dinner with my family, and I could not find anything to light the candles on my mantle.

Why can’t this be as simple as my smart lights?

That was my second question. I live in a world where I can use my voice to turn on most of the devices in my home… but was helpless when it came to something as simple and primitive as a candle.

From there, Pyllr was born.

Now at the time, I didn’t realize that I was on the path to starting a company, or creating a product. My original plan was to pick up a set of smart candles the next time I went shopping.

So I started looking – first at big department stores, and then boutiques, and finally online. I came to the realization that the product I wanted did not exist. Sure, there were LED candles… but most were made of plastic and didn’t look authentic. They didn’t flicker like flame-lit candles. There was no scent and no elegant way to “light” the candle.

I wanted all the magic of a real candle, with the convenience of today’s connected world. I wanted the lights to create shadows that danced along the ceiling. I wanted notes of vanilla or citrus to hang in the air. I wanted to control the candle with my voice, my phone, and by touch. That candle didn’t exist.

So I decided to invent it.

That first iteration wasn’t sexy – but it was effective it testing out the feasibility of what I wanted. I was able to create a realistic flicker from an LED embedded in a wax candle. I was able build wax warmer that would melt a wax cube without melting the candle. I was able to control the device with an app on my phone and with Alexa.

Others seemed to think it was a good idea as well. It won an award in the The Alexa and Arduino Smart Home Challenge. It was featured in a few online write ups. And a group of friends decided to invest their time, and money, to help turn this idea into a product.

And away we went.