Enplug

Enplug, Inc.

Company type	Private
Industry	Software, Digital signage
Founded	2012 (2012)
Defunct	2021 (2021)
Fate	Acquired by Spectrio
Headquarters	Culver City , United States
Products	Digital signage software platform
Number of employees	37 (2022)

Enplug, Inc. was a privately held American tech firm headquartered in Culver City, California that specialized in developing software solutions for digital signage. Its platform facilitated live social media engagement between brands and their audiences. The company operated on a software licensing model.

In 2021, Enplug was purchased by Spectrio.

History

Originating from the "Silicon Beach" startup ecosystem in Los Angeles, Enplug completed its program at StartEngine in September 2012. The company received accolades by being featured on the Inc. Magazine and Forbes 30 Under 30 lists.

Funding

During April 2014, Enplug raised $2.5 million in seed capital from a group of investors including Larry Keele (co-founder of Oaktree Capital Management), Rasoul Oskouy (one of the founders of Juniper Networks), Bill Gross (Idealab founder), Hossein Eslambolchi (former CTO at AT&T), David Cohen (EVP at Interscope Records), Justin Caldbeck (Lightspeed Venture Partners), Troy Carter (Atom Factory CEO), Howard Marks (Activision co-founder), along with Amidi Group, DominateFund, and zPark Venture.

Product

Enplug’s digital signage solutions facilitate instantaneous brand engagement by leveraging existing social media profiles. Their displays integrate with various platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Yelp, Foursquare, and Instagram through the use of custom business hashtags. The software’s adaptability allows clients to personalize their experience by incorporating third-party applications via an available Software Development Kit (SDK), empowering developers to build and market their own apps.

Additionally, these displays function as advertising venues for partners, enabling targeted content distribution across selected screens. Enplug provided its services as a Software as a Service (SaaS) offering, with clients subscribing monthly to access the platform.

Culture

Enplug attracted attention due to its distinctive corporate culture. By January 2022, 12 out of 37 staff members resided and worked collectively in a six-bedroom residence located in Bel Air, California. The company covered living expenses including rent, food, and utilities. This setup promoted stronger professional bonds, lowered operational costs, and boosted teamwork.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the shared living and working environment among employees and management presented occasional difficulties but ultimately proved advantageous for the organization. Forbes emphasized the company's intention to "blur the lifestyle divide" between professional duties and personal life. CEO Nanxi Liu highlighted that this communal living arrangement was vital to Enplug’s achievements, suggesting the company might not have succeeded without it.