 | |
| Company type | Privately held company |
|---|---|
| Founded | November 2012 |
| Founders | Daniela Perlein, Jorge Perdomo |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Brands | goTenna, goTenna Mesh, goTenna Pro, goTenna Plus |
| Website | gotenna |
goTenna (goTenna Inc.) is a technology company that creates mesh networking devices that pair with smartphones, allowing users to send texts and share locations on a peer-to-peer basis without needing active cell networks [1]
The idea for goTenna came to Jorge Perdomo after he continually got separated from his friends at electronic music festivals. He was at Electric Daisy Carnival Vegas 2012 with walkie-talkies thinking he had solved the problem, but then realized that the synchronous nature of the radios as well as being in a loud environment made them incomplete solutions to his problem.
At that moment, he realized what he really needed was a “walkie-textie” - and so the initial idea for goTenna was born.
He began architecting the system with the help of engineering professors at his Alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania, and confirmed the ability to execute the product within FCC regulations.
Although driven to make the product for himself at first, after Hurricane Sandy knocked out 25 percent of cell towers, and caused outages for 25 percent of Internet services, across 10 states on the East Coast he realized that it’s usefulness could be much greater. [2] [3] Officially incorporated in April 2013, [4]
He recruited his older sister to become the face of the company and lead fundraising while he could focus on building the technology. He ideated all products and architectures at the company until leaving the company at the close of 2018.
In 2014, goTenna rolled out its first consumer product, the goTenna, a pocket-size communication tool that lets off-grid travelers talk to one another without cell service. [5]
In September 2016, goTenna launched goTenna Plus, a, subscription-based upgrade to the goTenna applications, which includes the capability to use other goTenna users as gateways to relay messages through to traditional SMS networks. [6] The company also released its software development kit, enabling developers to create new applications using goTenna hardware. [7] However, its license does not permit use with open source copyleft licenses. [8] Around the same time, goTenna unveiled a second-generation device: goTenna Mesh, the first consumer-ready mesh network of its kind, available to 49 countries. [9]
In March 2017, the company announced its goTenna Pro line, for professional mobile radio communications needs, leaving the consumer market for government markets. [10] To finance its pivot, the company raised $24M in Series C equity and debt funding in 2019 [11]
Meshtastic - an open source equivalent
