The scenario is a familiar one: the lawn guy, the cleaning lady, even the pest control guy—all working to make your home life easier.
“But it’s like, where’s the tech guy?” asks Hagan Kappler.
That question inspired Kappler to co-found Daisy, which specializes in turning homes into smoothly running smart homes.
Kappler, now the company’s CEO, won a Women in Business Award from the Business Journal during an event held Oct. 15 at the Irvine Marriott.
Costa Mesa-based Daisy is a national company that offers home technology services and support, including audio/video, security systems, smart lighting, automated shades, home networking, speakers, speaker systems and control systems.
“We can take that off people’s shoulders,” Kappler told the Business Journal the day after receiving the award.
Building Out National Brand
There is “huge opportunity in this space” as homes become more tech-oriented, she says.
Kappler is an East Coast transplant, growing up in New Jersey, graduating from Williams College in Massachusetts and then moving with her husband several times before eventually settling in Newport Beach.
Her résumé includes working for Goldman Sachs, McKinsey & Co., Starbucks and Trane as well as receiving a MBA from the University of Virginia Dardeen School of Business. In all, Kappler picked up 22 years of business experience, including some in home services, before co-founding her own company with industry veteran Dion Persson.
$35M Raised in 16 Months
Founded in 2023, Daisy made its first acquisition in 2024 and raised $35 million in venture funding within its first 16 months.
“We have 20 franchises that we’ve sold. Some are converting existing businesses. Some are startups,” she says.
Investors include Goldcrest Capital and Bungalow.
She says the company’s investors realize “this will take probably a decade to get really right.”
“We are profitable from an operating perspective because we were acquiring companies that already existed,” she says.
Daisy is also developing an apprentice program because Kappler says “it’s hard to hire” for tech jobs these days. She is specifically aiming for more women techies.
As for running her own firm, she says the experience is the “ultimate kind of freedom.”
In addition, to installations, Kappler says Daisy’s goal is to “provide customers with that ongoing service to help them with some of the frustration and challenges that technology can present.”
The company also helps “people keep up with changing technology to help meet their family needs.”
She spells things out further on Daisy’s website.
“As a mom, navigating my career,” Kappler said it was previously frustrating to find a reliable “tech guy.”
“We built the company based on thousands of customer experiences like mine across the country, combined with the realization that no national brand existed in this space,” according to Kappler.
She adds: “To create Daisy, the first national brand in home and small business technology installation and services, we have partnered with the best custom integration companies and top entrepreneurs to provide the best quality technology installation and ongoing service solutions for our clients.”
Daisy has invested half of each dollar raised to acquire new businesses and half to build out systems to support the integration and success of its branch operations.
This support system includes its recurring services business, recruiting and retention platforms, marketing and sales support, and a tech stack to enable day-to-day business operations.
