Startups > Meter

Meter

Meter delivers enterprise networking hardware, software, and operations as a single subscription service.
Series C $315M total Founded 2015 San Francisco, California 122 employees
Meter delivers enterprise networking as a fully integrated service, combining custom-built hardware (firewalls, switches, access points, 5G gateways), proprietary software, and managed operations into a single subscription. The company disrupts traditional networking by eliminating the need for separate hardware vendors and IT operations, delivering secure, reliable connectivity across branch offices, campuses, and data centers. Meter's vertically integrated approach—designing and manufacturing all components simultaneously—enables superior performance, security, and scalability compared to best-of-breed alternatives.
Problem solved
Enterprises face fragmented networking costs, vendor complexity, and unpredictable CAPEX cycles when managing separate hardware, software, and operations from different vendors.
Target customer
Large enterprises and institutions managing multiple locations (branch offices, warehouses, campuses) seeking to shift from CAPEX hardware refreshes to predictable OPEX networking; organizations with 1,000+ employees across distributed locations.
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Founders
A
Anil Varanasi
CEO & Co-founder
Graduated from George Mason University with degrees in economics and computer networking; previously ran a business with his brother for a decade focused on technology and networking systems.
S
Sunil Varanasi
CTO & Co-founder
Appointed CTO at founding in 2015; drives technological innovation and product development with strong foundation in technology architecture and network engineering.
Funding history
Series B $72.1M September 24, 2021 Led by Unknown · Unknown
Series B $35M February 2024 Led by Sam Altman (OpenAI CEO), Lachy Groom (Stripe) · Sequoia Capital, Diane Greene (VMware founder), John Bicket (Meraki co-founder), Sanjit Biswas (Meraki co-founder)
Series C $170M June 12, 2025 Led by General Catalyst (Hemant Taneja) · Baillie Gifford, Lachy Groom, J.P. Morgan, Microsoft, Sequoia Capital, Tishman Speyer, WndrCo, 53 Stations
Total raised: $315M
Industries
Information Technology Internet IT Infrastructure Software
Pricing
Subscription-based, priced per square footage. Partners can bill customers directly or have Meter handle billing. Designed to convert lumpy CAPEX hardware refreshes into predictable flat monthly OPEX.
Notable customers
Bridgewater, Lyft, Reddit, Brex, Higher Ground Education, Stord, Tishman Speyer
Integrations
Lumen (connectivity partnership); partnership ecosystem with managed service providers and resellers for direct and indirect billing.
Tech stack
Splide (JavaScript libraries) jQuery (JavaScript libraries) core-js (JavaScript libraries) YouTube (Video players) Plyr (Video players) anime.js (JavaScript graphics) Zendesk (Documentation) SWC parcel Open Graph HubSpot Analytics (Analytics) Microsoft Clarity (Analytics) Matomo Analytics (Analytics) Linkedin Insight Tag (Analytics) Heap (Analytics) Google Analytics (Analytics) Facebook Pixel (Analytics) Apple iCloud Mail (Webmail) Google Workspace (Email) Cloudflare (CDN) cdnjs (CDN) jsDelivr (CDN) HubSpot (Marketing automation) MailChimp (Marketing automation) Microsoft Advertising (Advertising) Google Tag Manager (Tag managers) Webflow (Page builders) Salesforce (CRM) Amazon Web Services (PaaS)
Website
meter.com/
Competitors
Cisco Systems
Cisco offers modular networking components; Meter provides fully integrated hardware-software-operations stack with unified billing.
Juniper Networks
Juniper focuses on hardware and software separately; Meter designs all nine platforms (firewalls, switches, access points, 5G gateways) simultaneously for unified performance.
Palo Alto Networks
Palo Alto emphasizes security software; Meter provides end-to-end networking with security as integrated component of full-stack service.
Fortinet
Fortinet offers security-first networking; Meter combines hardware manufacturing with software and managed operations into single subscription model.
Arista Networks
Arista specializes in data center networking hardware; Meter spans branch offices, campuses, and data centers with integrated service delivery.
Why this matters: Meter raised $170M in Series C (June 2025) backed by heavyweight investors including Microsoft, J.P. Morgan, and Sequoia, signaling confidence in the vertically integrated networking-as-a-service model. The company is attacking a massive, fragmented enterprise market by combining hardware manufacturing, software design, and managed services—a rare full-stack approach that eliminates vendor complexity and converts capex to opex for large distributed enterprises.
Best for: Large enterprises and institutions with distributed locations that need to simplify networking complexity, reduce vendor fragmentation, and convert unpredictable hardware costs into predictable monthly subscriptions.
Use cases
Multi-location enterprise connectivity
A company with 50+ branch offices, warehouses, and regional campuses can deploy Meter's unified hardware and software stack across all locations with single subscription, eliminating the need to manage relationships with separate firewall, switch, and access point vendors. Operations teams get centralized visibility and control, while finance shifts from unpredictable CAPEX refresh cycles to predictable monthly OPEX.
Data center to branch seamless networking
Financial services firm needs secure, low-latency connectivity from corporate headquarters data center to all branch offices and trading floors. Meter's vertically integrated platform—combining firewalls, switches, 5G gateways, and managed operations—ensures consistent security policies, performance, and compliance across the entire network without vendor-specific complexity.
Managed service provider white-label offering
An MSP can offer Meter's networking platform to SMB and mid-market customers, choosing to bill customers directly or let Meter handle billing. MSP avoids managing multiple hardware vendors while providing enterprise-grade connectivity as a differentiating service.
Alternatives
Cisco Meraki Cloud-managed networking but relies on Cisco hardware and third-party components; Meter manufactures all hardware and software in-house for tighter integration.
Fortinet FortiGate Security-first platform with modular hardware partners; Meter provides unified hardware design and operations as integrated monthly service.
Palo Alto Networks Prisma Cloud-native security platform; Meter focuses on full-stack networking hardware, software, and operations with security integrated.
FAQ
What does Meter do? +
Meter delivers enterprise networking as a fully integrated service combining custom-designed hardware (firewalls, switches, access points, 5G gateways), proprietary software, and managed operations into a single monthly subscription. The company manufactures all components in-house and manages deployment, support, and operations, eliminating vendor fragmentation and converting unpredictable hardware costs into predictable OPEX.
How much does Meter cost? +
Meter uses subscription pricing based on square footage of locations served. Partners can choose to bill customers directly or have Meter handle billing. Pricing is not publicly listed; contact Meter directly for enterprise quotes based on your location count and connectivity needs.
What are alternatives to Meter? +
Cisco Meraki offers cloud-managed networking but relies on modular hardware partners. Fortinet provides security-first networking with separate hardware components. Palo Alto Networks Prisma focuses on cloud-native security rather than full-stack networking operations.
Who uses Meter? +
Large enterprises and institutions with distributed locations, including Bridgewater, Lyft, Reddit, Brex, and Tishman Speyer. Target customers are organizations managing multiple branch offices, warehouses, and campuses seeking to simplify networking and convert CAPEX to OPEX.
How does Meter compare to Cisco? +
Cisco offers modular networking components sold separately; Meter designs all nine platforms (firewalls, switches, access points, 5G gateways) simultaneously as an integrated stack. Meter also includes managed operations and support as a unified monthly subscription, eliminating the need to manage multiple vendors and unpredictable hardware refresh cycles.
Tags
networking hardware enterprise infrastructure network-as-a-service managed services connectivity vertically integrated capex to opex