In 2014, Deako founder Derek Richardson had a casual conversation with a neighbor who builds and remodels homes. Throughout the discussion, Derek learned that most builders actively deter their clients from putting smart home technology in their homes. Builders could rarely convince clients to pay enough to overcome the added cost from installation complexity, support, and warranty issues that arose with smart home technology. Builders just wanted simple products, not smart ones.

Coincidentally, Derek was replacing light switches in his own home at the time and was frustrated with the removal and replacement process. He began thinking about how a modular connector would make the process easier and safer. The link between the two problems was clear, and so the idea for a modular light switch was born.