Nanoleaf's $40M acquisition by OneRobotics signals major shift into AI and robotics

SwitchBot's acquisition of Nanoleaf is about more than lighting

Smart lighting company Nanoleaf has been acquired by OneRobotics, the parent company of SwitchBot. In an exclusive interview with The Verge, Nanoleaf CEO Gimmy Chu says the company will remain independent and that he and his cofounder and COO, Christian Yan, will continue to run it. "Nothing is changing operationally," says Chu, adding that there are plans for product integrations between the two smart home companies. The sale, which Chu characterized as "more of a merger," will provide Nanoleaf with significant resources, including a cash infusion that will, among other things, help the company grow its team at its Toronto headquarters. It will also bring access to the manufacturing facilities and supply chain of the Chinese company, which has a market cap of over $2 billion. "This will enable us to make things at a larger scale, with bigger purchasing power to bring down costs for our customers and have tighter control over the supply chain," says Chu. Chu was reluctant to go into financial details, preferring to point to public filings. These show OneRobotics is paying about $40 million over two years to acquire Nanoleaf outright, and that Nanoleaf's annual revenue is around $30 million, but it has operated at a net loss for the last two years. Chu says the decision to sell was not out of financial necessity but to help the company grow. "We weren't in a position where we had to do this. I probably wouldn't have done it if it didn't feel right," adding that the two companies have had a good relationship for many years. "And it does; it feels like a great partnership." Despite being around for over a decade, Nanoleaf remains a relatively small company, one that has struggled in recent years to keep pace with bigger competitors such as Philips Hue and Govee. "We've accomplished a lot; our light panels started a whole new category," says Chu. "But as a small team we didn't have a lot of resources, and we have always had more ideas than we can handle and the challenge has been how to execute them." One example of this is that it took the company nearly eight years to bring a light switch to market. With OneRobotics behind them, Chu says they'll have the resources to bring those ideas to life. Those ideas aren't just around smart lighting; Nanoleaf is moving into embodied AI and robotics as well as expanding its new LED-based wellness product line. SwitchBot has also been expanding into AI and robotics, debuting the Onero H1, its first humanoid home robot, at CES this year, following the launch of an AI-powered tennis robot and a companion robot. This is an addition to a raft of more traditional smart home products the company produces, though, notably, the one area where it has little presence is smart lighting. According to the filings, OneRobotics views the acquisition as a key step in its "strategy to build a global home embodied AI ecosystem." That's a version of a phrase we're starting to hear from several smart home companies -- most recently Dreame. The acquisition will also help SwitchBot expand into brick-and-mortar retail in North America and Europe, where Nanoleaf has partnerships with Apple and big-box stores such as Costco, Best Buy, and The Home Depot. In a statement to The Verge, SwitchBot confirmed that the brands will remain separate and said that with the partnership, "We are creating a stronger technical and product foundation to develop future innovations that make the home more responsive, adaptive, and effortless to use ... Our shared goal is to create a more unified intelligent home ecosystem with seamless interoperability, where robots, devices, and ambient experiences work together naturally." Chu says OneRobotics values Nanoleaf for its creativity, product development, and technology. "We were first movers in Matter and Thread. They can benefit from all the hardships we went through there." He also adds that the companies have similar cultures. "We're of similar size and scale with different strengths and a lot of synergies. We're both scrappy fighters." Having covered SwitchBot and Nanoleaf for many years, I can see some of those synergies. Both have built reputations for innovation in an industry increasingly dominated by fast followers, but they've excelled in different areas. SwitchBot's strength lies in practical problem-solving, from its original robotic finger that pushes a switch (hence the name SwitchBot) to its lineup of smart home devices, including locks, sensors, shades, robot vacuums, and more. In contrast, Nanoleaf has built its brand around ambitious ideas and experiential products, from modular LED lighting panels to screen mirroring and music sync -- even an AI-powered lighting system (before they were cool). Nanoleaf has also built expertise in connectivity standards and smart home ecosystems -- areas SwitchBot has lagged behind. Chu's positive characterization of the deal feels optimistic -- few acquisitions come without tradeoffs. But if OneRobotics indeed allows the company to operate independently while getting the resources to execute its plans, there's a path for both SwitchBot and Nanoleaf to emerge stronger at a time when commoditization is posing challenges for smaller smart home companies.

Nanoleaf is evolving from smart home lights to robotics with the help of a major merger

Nanoleaf is synonymous with the smart desk and wall lights that YouTubers and Twitch streamers love, but it's pivoting away from them toward robotics and AI -- and just secured a big merger to help make that happen. OneRobotics, the owner of smart home heavyweight SwitchBot, has agreed to acquire Nanoleaf for $40 million. The deal is expected to take two years to wrap up, In an interview with The Verge, Nanoleaf CEO Gimmy Chu characterized it as "more of a merger" that would not only help grow its home team in Canada, but give it access to SwitchBot's huge supply chain. That will let Nanoleaf make devices at a "larger scale" while boosting quality, according to the executive. Nanoleaf Essentials Lightstrip See at Amazon Expand Collapse Nanoleaf has released relatively few new products in recent years, but revealed in late April that it was "evolving" from smart lighting into AI, robotics, and wellness tech. This included AI devices that could help children develop, "attainable" robotics, and red light therapy. At the time, Chu explained that the smart home was becoming "kind of boring." Effectively, it's a highly commoditized space where big names like Govee and Philips Hue struggle to compete against cheaper brands that offer largely the same technology. The pivot toward AI and robots could help Nanoleaf escape that trap while seizing on the latest technology trends. What does the Nanoleaf merger with Switchbot mean for your smart home? More automations are on the way In the short term, not much will change. Nanoleaf will still run independently, with Chu and other executives in place. There are no indications smart home lights will disappear from the lineup. My smart home learns my routines without cloud AI -- here's how it works There's no time like the presence. Posts By Adam Davidson However, Chu already says Nanoleaf and SwitchBot's parent are readying product integrations between the two companies. SwitchBot unveiled a humanoid household robot at CES 2026 and already has a diverse lineup that includes robot vacuums and smart locks, so those might offer clues as to how the brands will work together. It's safe to say there will be more automation in the short term. You might see lights that react when you unlock the door, for instance. The longer-term plan isn't clear -- while Nanoleaf isn't directly competing with SwitchBot's products, there is the potential for some overlap that the two will have to address.