ADT's new $25m mPERS partnership to also enhance lead generation

ADT has invested $25 million in a new partnership with Life360, a provider of location-based services and family networking technology that has more than 33 million customers, ADT announced this week. The partnership is expected to lead to cobranded mPERS solutions and also “provide a valuable lead generation source for ADT,” the company said.

During a discussion of ADT's disappointing Q1 results earlier this year, CEO Naren Gursahaney cited some “lead generation challenges,” the company had been having and said ADT planned to expand its lead generation activities in response.

On May 13, ADT announced the Life360 partnership, which it said will “enable the development of innovative, cobranded mobile security applications to provide greater safety and security services to families.” According to a news release, ADT is taking a minority ownership stake in the company, “through a $25 million investment, leading a $50 million Series C financing for Life360. The investment forges a mutually beneficial bond for the two companies to work together to advance personal security solutions available to the more than 33 million families who use Life360.”

Arthur Orduña, senior vice president and chief innovation officer for ADT, said the partnership allows ADT to expand security outside the home. “Today, ADT provides security and monitoring solutions for families wherever they are. This partnership with Life360 fits within our innovation strategy to reinvent the idea of 'security' for our increasingly mobile lifestyles. It's a perfect pairing as ADT and Life360 are both leaders in their categories that share a very similar vision and mission - to provide peace of mind to families,” Orduña said in a prepared statement.

The release said the two companies plan to release a new codeveloped mobile application in late 2014. The new mobile app “will integrate features from ADT Chaperone, an existing 'on-the-go' personal security offering from ADT. The upcoming mobile application from ADT and Life360 will provide direct access to ADT's 24/7 monitoring centers that can connect users to police, fire and emergency medical responders,” the release said.

According to Orduña's statement, “Soon every family will be able to use the app to meet their unique needs, whether it's providing a chaperone for a child walking home from school and verifying they reached their destination, or knowing to arm the home's security system when the house is vacant.”

The app will be free. Also, the release said, “and upgraded security features from ADT will be available at a nominal monthly subscription fee.”

Chris Hulls, Life360 founder and chief executive officer, issued a statement saying: “Mobile is at the center of the connected home, and given security is a critical element for today's families, our integration with ADT offers customers the value of one of the world's largest security and home automation providers, plus the connectivity of the largest family network.”