Their signature red coats may draw attention at conventions, but it’s StorageDefender’s smart technology solutions that keep the spotlight on the company year-round. While the six-year-old business is no longer a startup, their quest to innovate with new features like +VisualVerify™ sets them apart.
The foundation of StorageDefender lies in the complementary strengths of its founders, Mark Cieri and Nathan Wright. Cieri had a long career as a global leader at microchip technology companies, even serving as vice president for Philips Hue’s North American smart home lighting division. Wright held roles as a product engineer at Texas Instruments and Schlumberger before founding his own engineering development firm. Both held over a dozen patents when they partnered, and today hold many more together.
“These experiences were certainly valuable, but ultimately what mattered most was taking a swing at starting my own business,” says Cieri. “I didn’t want to leave room for any regrets when I spoke to my future self.”
The turning point came in 2018 when Cieri began efforts to acquire a technology business. During these pursuits, he was introduced to Wright by a mutual friend, and the two spent time as angel investors. Eventually, they realized the best path forward was to build their own company.
Leveraging their collective backgrounds and passion, they decided to create a complete vertical IoT solution, with its key building block being a battery-operated wireless sensor with long battery life and mobility, while ensuring a low cost for implementation and maintenance.
As they progressed, they saw an opportunity to create an entire hardware-enabled SaaS solution for intelligent monitoring, which became the genesis of their now WMP (Web Management Portal). They conceived applications across numerous industries but were unsure where to start.
“My brother was driving down the highway, noticing one self-storage facility after another,” Cieri recalls. “When he suggested it, that was the aha moment. I made the connection that customers considered storage an extension of their home, such as a remote garage, and my experience with smart homes directly applied. The No. 1 reason people were purchasing smart home products was peace of mind, and they paid a premium for it, too. We realized we could help transform self-storage similarly by introducing individual unit monitoring as a service.”
The duo launched StorageDefender in April 2019, then COVID hit. “Everything went remote,” says Wright. “We were concerned, but self-storage was resilient. This helped us develop deep roots with our early partners as contactless technology became a priority.”
Initially, Cieri and Wright drove around Texas installing the product for clients; fast forward a few years, and StorageDefender is embedded in the self-storage ecosystem with a nationwide installation network. The reception has been extremely positive; some operators pre-outfit units with a smart device, while others offer it as an upgrade or include it in their value-based pricing offerings.
“We’re proud to have pioneered smart-unit-as-a-service for the self-storage industry, and it’s one of the top-rated features tenants will pay for,” marketing manager Brook Bland says, citing the SSA’s 2025 Self Storage Demand Study. “Tenants are price-sensitive, so if you just raise rent, they often push back. But when it’s tied to a feature like smart monitoring, the value is clear.” She adds that one recent company case study showed a 72 percent opt-in rate when smart units were offered as an upgrade, which added over $50,000 in annual revenue to a single property.
Mark Cieri and Nathan Wright’s latest innovation, +VisualVerify, is a platform that seamlessly integrates with their smart device technology. It also capitalizes on existing camera systems, bringing all property views into one centralized dashboard.
“We saw owners being pushed to buy expensive new AI cameras and multi-property operators struggling to effectively manage multiple camera platforms,” Wright says. “We thought, why not let them work with what they already have?”
With +VisualVerify, most camera systems can be integrated into one dashboard or a “single pane of glass.” When paired with the company’s Smart Units and Smart Zones, it becomes even more powerful, allowing operators to go straight to the exact timestamp of an incident. The platform leverages AI analytics, enabling operators to locate and prioritize incidents autonomously. “+VisualVerify saves time, money, and provides higher awareness across facilities, especially larger portfolios,” says Bland.
Cieri and Wright haven’t just built a product—they’ve built a company that reflects their complementary strengths. “It’s clear what a natural fit they are,” says Bland. “Mark handles vision, product definition, marketing, and sales, while Nathan orchestrates R&D, product development, and communication infrastructure. They both truly care about our clients, the community, and company culture. I don’t use the term ‘power duo’ lightly, but that’s them.”
That balance of vision and execution has fueled StorageDefender’s growth, and today the team rallies around a core promise: to defend storage and provide peace of mind that profits. “We won’t stop innovating,” says Cieri. “We’re evolving our technology, growing partnerships, and always have new products in development.”
Wright agrees. “Our focus is expanding the solution across the self-storage industry. Stay tuned—there’s more to come.”
From startup to standout, Cieri and Wright will keep building their business and the self-storage industry itself, donning the red coats, naturally!
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Brad Hadfield is MSM’s lead writer and web manager.