If there was ever a successfully funded Kickstarter project that actually delivered on its promise to its backers, it would be Pebble. The company launched a relatively affordable smartwatch with a unique e-ink display. But it has been years since Pebble launched. The company was acquired by Fitbit, which in turn was bought by Google. Now, Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky is back with his new company, Core Devices, which he insists is not a startup.
Pebble founder says new company is not a startup
For those unfamiliar, Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky has launched a new company called Core Devices, which unlike Pebble, is not a startup. Or at least that’s not the label that Migicovsky wants associated with his new venture.
Speaking to TechCrunch, he was quoted as saying, “We’ve structured this entire business around being a sustainable, profitable, and hopefully, long-running enterprise, but not a startup.” However, he clarified that he has no issues with startups. He just wants to make it clear that his approach with Core Devices will be different from that of Pebble.
According to Migicovsy, “Startups are good for the world. You need to have money in order to build really new ideas and create something. But this is not a new idea. This is an old idea. We’re just bringing it back.”
He actually has a point, where startups generally chase for VC funding to push their devices along. However, since he is reviving an already-established product in an already-established segment, he feels that being labeled a startup is unnecessary. It would also solve some of Pebble’s early woes, such as overestimating demand, leading to a surplus in inventory that had to be sold at a discount.
Introducing Core Devices
With Core Devices, Migicovsky isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel. The company is instead bringing back the Pebble smartwatch. However, the approach is going to be slightly different. Migicovsky admitted that while building Pebble, he lost sight of the vision he had originally been going for. The company tried to introduce features like health tracking, presumably because that’s what the competition was doing at that time.
Now, with the relaunch of Pebble, Migicovsky wants to stay true to his roots. “I want a companion to my phone, rather than a replacement for my phone.” He also said, “I want it to be more like a Swatch than a Rolex. I want it to be a little bit more fun, casual, playful, and plasticky.”
The company is also going to be tackling the smart ring, called the Pebble Index. But they’re not stopping there. According to Migicovsky, there are more devices they are working on and while he won’t dive into specifics, he said that they will be devices that he personally would want to have.
