Intentional Strategy for a Connected World
Building resilient, standards-based IoT ecosystems that scale from prototype to global deployment
Services
Strategic Architecture & Roadmap Defining the architectural foundation for connected product ecosystems — from protocol selection and integration frameworks to interoperability strategies that remain resilient as the standards landscape evolves.
Standards Leadership & Ecosystem Navigation Understanding how standards bodies actually work — who the real decision-makers are, how consensus gets built, and how to position your technology to be adopted rather than bypassed. With deep roots in Matter, Zigbee, Thread, and Aliro, I can help you influence the standards that will define your market, and introduce you to the people who shape them. In practice, this takes a couple of concrete shapes: participant-level representation, covering the ongoing work of active standards participation — monitoring working-group activity, protecting your IP rights, making sure your interests are actually represented — at a fraction of the cost of building that headcount in-house; and specification changes, turning a real technical gap you’ve found into an actual proposal that moves through the standards process, not just a conversation that goes nowhere.
Certification & Compliance Navigation Matter and Aliro certification rarely fits a checklist. Navigating certification transfer vs. new-product testing, security attestation for composite and non-standard architectures (bridges, multi-protocol devices, proprietary hardware paired with a certified reader), PICS documentation, and coordination with test labs and wallet programs (Apple, Google, Samsung) — so a complex device gets certified right the first time instead of failing an audit six weeks before launch.
Lifecycle Resilience & Security Governance Shipping a product is the beginning, not the end. I provide strategic guidance on fleet-wide security, OTA update strategies, and the operational frameworks needed to maintain integrity across complex, long-lived IoT deployments, including two compliance forcing functions most product teams haven’t started planning for: post-quantum cryptography and the EU Cyber Resilience Act.
GTM & Ecosystem Partnership Strategy What are you actually selling? That question isn’t separate from the standards strategy — it drives it. And the answer can shift mid-cycle the same way a debugging finding does: if the feature your launch story was built around isn’t ready for prime time, the messaging has to flex with it. I carry this thread through the engagement rather than treating it as a one-time deliverable.
Business Development & Partner Sourcing Identifying strategic partners and qualified business development leads alongside the technical and standards work — because the right introduction can matter as much as the right spec.
Critic Review & Out-of-Box Audit Coming soon — an outside, press-eye review of your product’s out-of-box experience before it ships, before real critics ever get their hands on it. Get in touch if you’d like to be an early design partner.
About
For over 25 years, I’ve worked at the intersection of emerging technology standards and real-world commercial deployment. As Head of Technology at the Connectivity Standards Alliance, I spent seven years helping build Matter — shepherding it from proposal to a global interoperability standard now adopted across thousands of certified devices and backed by the industry’s largest smart home platform makers.
That experience revealed something most companies discover too late: technical excellence isn't enough. Getting a product adopted at scale requires understanding how standards bodies actually work, who the real decision-makers are, and how to build the coalitions that move markets. IntentIoT brings that inside knowledge — and those relationships — to companies navigating the connected world.
Learn more about my background on LinkedIn.
Business Insider
"Chris LaPré, the head of technology at the Connectivity Standards Alliance, is leading the charge to create industrywide standards for the so-called Internet of Things, promoting a protocol called Matter that promises to unite Apple, Amazon, Google, and other manufacturers of IoT devices under one set of guidelines."
Epik Mellon Podcast
The real test isn't whether the late-night light goes on. It's the exception: if someone is sleeping on the couch, you probably don't want it on. On the other hand, if you are worried about falling, you want the light, and the person asleep on the couch might be exactly who wakes up to help.
HomeKit Insider
Talking the state and future of Matter with AppleInsider's Andrew O'Hara.
EE Times Europe
"Matter’s latest home energy management support has potential for significant energy savings and could well draw in more developers and consumers."
IFA 2025 · Tuya Dream Stage
On the Dream Stage for Tuya's keynote for an update on Matter, with Alex Yang following to talk about AI.
The Ambient
"I think that anyone and his dog – anyone and his dog who’d be reading The Ambient, at least – knows that Matter is trying to establish itself as the smart home standard. But, over in Berlin at IFA 2024, I sat down with Chris LaPré, Head of Technology at the Connectivity Standards Alliance, who explained that there are wider plans afoot."
Ready to Drive the Standard?
Don't just adopt the standard — shape it. Let's build the strategy, relationships, and technical foundation that positions your products at the center of the global connected ecosystem.