 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2012 |
| Founder | David Barnett |
| Headquarters | , U.S. |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Mobile phone accessories |
| Website | www |
PopSockets LLC is a privately owned consumer electronics accessory company that produces removable grips for smartphones. The company was founded in 2012 by David Barnett,[ citation needed ] who was at the time a philosophy professor. [1]
In 2014, the first year of sales, PopSockets LLC sold 30,000 PopSockets grips. In 2017, they sold 35 million.[ citation needed ] In 2018, they sold 60 million. [2] They have sold a total of over 100 million Popsockets grips. [3]
In 2018, PopSockets LLC's revenue was over US$200 million, with a profit of over US$90 million. [4]
In August 2018, PopSockets LLC was listed as #2 on the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing companies in America. [5]
PopSockets LLC employs over 200 people, in Boulder, San Francisco, Finland, and Singapore. [6] PopSockets LLC has partnerships with production facilities in China, South Korea, Mexico, and Seattle. [7]
In January 2012, Barnett started a Kickstarter campaign for an iPhone 4 case with a device on the back that could be used to store earbuds. [8] In March 2012, Barnett signed an exclusive licensing agreement with Case-Mate, but the agreement later fell through. [9] Because of the resulting delay, Barnett announced in September 2012 that he would be developing an iPhone 5 case instead of an iPhone 4 case. He also announced that he would be developing a product that, at the time, was called "PopSockets for All"—this is a PopSockets grip that sticks to one's phone or tablet via a repositionable sticky gel pad. He was interested in finding a way to store his headphones without them getting tangled. This individual PopSockets grip has been the best-selling product of the company. [10]
PopSockets LLC started selling products in January 2014, via direct sales on its website. [11] In 2015, PopSockets LLC signed its first major retail deal, with T-Mobile.[ citation needed ] PopSockets reached a high level of popularity in 2017, becoming what Slate Magazine called a well-known "love it or hate it" gadget, like the fidget spinner. [12]
PopSockets LLC's revenue grew by 71,424 percent from mid-2015 to mid-2018; this growth was achieved without venture capital investment. [13]
In March 2019, PopSockets LLC moved its headquarters to a 46,000-square-foot building in Boulder, Colorado. [14] [15]
PopSockets grips were featured on a September 2012 segment of NPR's radio show All Things Considered , entitled "When A Kickstarter Campaign Fails, Does Anyone Get The Money Back?". [16] The segment discussed how Barnett refunded 40 of his 500 Kickstarter backers, due to the delays in production. Regarding the refunds, Barnett was quoted as saying "I think it sets a bad precedent. ... Once I did that, I could tell that it started creating the impression in some of my backers that they had purchased an item. And I think as Kickstarter grows, there's more and more of an impression that it's just a big store for people to go get deals." Barnett's production delays were also discussed on CNN. [17]
The main product sold by PopSockets LLC is the PopSockets grip. [18] The PopSockets grip is designed to allow easier handling of the phone. The PopSockets grip also functions as a stand, to prop a phone up while watching video. PopSockets LLC also sells the PopSockets mount, which enables one to temporarily mount one's phone on a vertical surface, such as a car dashboard or wall. [19] In February 2018, the company started selling the PopSockets vent mount, which clips onto the air vent of a vehicle. [20]
PopSockets LLC also sells PopMinis (miniature PopSockets grips, sold in sets of three), [21] PopWallets (designed to hold up to three credit cards or driver's licenses) and PopMirrors (phone grips with two mirrors). [22]
In October 2018, the company started selling swappable PopSockets grips, called "PopGrips", where the top portion of the grip, called a "PopTop", can be removed and replaced with another PopTop. [23]
Starting in Spring of 2019, in conjunction with Otterbox, PopSockets LLC will be selling the Otter+Pop phone case, an Otterbox case with an integrated PopTop. [24] This case won a USA Today CES Editors' Choice award. [25]
PopSockets LLC has plans in the future to sell swappable grips with integrated external batteries, sensors, and trackers. [2] PopSockets LLC announced plans for making products compatible with the iPhone 12 MagSafe feature. [26]
PopSockets LLC has faced significant problems with counterfeits (fakes branded as "PopSockets") and knock-offs (which don't use the term "PopSockets", but copy the design of PopSockets grips and hence violate patents). In 2017 and 2018, PopSockets LLC's brand protection team was working with online marketplaces around the world to remove 1,000 to 2,000 listings daily. Amazon had to develop new protocols to deal with the volume of fake PopSockets grips on the Amazon Marketplace. [27]
In 2018, PopSockets LLC spent over US$7 million on intellectual property protection, working with over 40 lawyers worldwide. [28]
In June 2018, PopSockets LLC won a General Exclusion Order (GEO) from the US International Trade Commission, prohibiting the importation into America of products that infringe on PopSockets's 2013 patent entitled "Extending Socket for Portable Media Player". [29]
In November 2018, PopSockets LLC stopped selling PopSockets grips on amazon.com, due to pricing disputes with Amazon. Amazon changed its policy, so that brands like PopSockets could not sell directly on the Amazon Marketplace, but could only sell items to Amazon at wholesale cost; Amazon would then be the seller and determine the retail cost. PopSockets LLC wanted to maintain pricing parity with other retailers (like Target and Best Buy) who sell PopSockets grips, and as a result PopSockets LLC decided not to sell PopSockets grips to Amazon at all. [30]
In November 2018, PopSockets LLC launched a major philanthropic program called "Poptivism", where for each PopSockets grip sold through the Poptivism platform, 50% of the sale is donated to the non-profit assigned to it by its creator. [31] One of the celebrities who has promoted a Poptivism grip is the American actress and singer Zendaya; sales from her grip support the charity FoodCorps. [32] PopSockets LLC also partnered with Teen Vogue to support the gun violence charity March for Our Lives. [33]
In the past PopSockets LLC was a "Let's Get a Grip on Arthritis" sponsor, and donated 10 percent of its online net proceeds from January through March 2018 to the Arthritis Foundation. [34] PopSockets LLC received recognition from the Arthritis Foundation for the utility of PopSockets grips for people with arthritis. [34]
For April through June 2018, PopSockets LLC donated 10 percent of its online net proceeds to Craig Hospital (which helps patients with spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury rehabilitation). [35] [36]
For July through September 2018, PopSockets LLC donated 10 percent of its online net proceeds to The ALS Association. [37] PopSockets inventor David Barnett's grandfather helped found that group. [38]
According to PopSocket's website as of April 25, 2020, the company has raised a total of $934,447 through the Poptivism program.
Amazon China, formerly known as Joyo.com, is an online shopping website. Joyo.com was founded in early 2000 by the Chinese entrepreneur Lei Jun in Beijing, China. The company primarily sold books and other media goods, shipping to customers nationwide. Joyo.com was renamed to “Amazon China” when sold to Amazon Inc in 2004 for US$75 Million. Amazon China closed its domestic business in China in June 2019, offering only products from sellers located overseas.
The Pop-Port interface was a proprietary plug-in port for accessories and data synchronisation, available with many Nokia mobile phones. The port consists of one metal pin on either end, and a plastic tab containing thirteen contacts. Pop-Port-like interfaces first appeared in Nokia phones since circa 1996, but the Pop-Port was standardised as a single interface in 2002.
Vera Bradley Sales, LLC is an American luggage and handbag design company, founded by Barbara Bradley Baekgaard and Patricia R. Miller in 1982. As of 2019, its home office is in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The company was named after Baekgaard's mother. Its original luxury cotton bag product lines have expanded to include fashion and home accessories, office supplies, and patterned gifts. Many items have distinctive florals, paisleys, or geometric prints with complementary linings, as well as elongated diamond quilting. The patterns were originally inspired by French Provençal country fabrics and have limited seasonal releases each year. In September 2022, the company named Jacqueline Ardrey as their new CEO.
Product Red is a licensed brand by the company Red that seeks to engage the private sector in raising awareness and funds to help eliminate HIV/AIDS in eight African countries, namely Eswatini, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zambia. It is licensed to partner companies including Apple Inc., Nike, American Express (UK), The Coca-Cola Company, Starbucks, Converse, Electronic Arts, Primark, Head, Buckaroo, Penguin Classics, Gap, Armani, FIAT, Hallmark (US), SAP, Beats Electronics, and Supercell.
Mobile accessories include any hardware that is not integral to the operation of a mobile smartphone as designed by the manufacturer, and adds utility to the mobile phone.
Otter Products, LLC, or simply OtterBox, is a privately owned consumer electronics accessory company based in Fort Collins, Colorado, that produces cases for mobile devices. The company was founded in 1998 as a manufacturer of water-resistant boxes meant to house electronic devices, mostly catering to outdoor enthusiasts. Since then, OtterBox has produced both water-resistant and non-water-resistant protective phone cases for smartphones.
Pono was a portable digital media player and music download service for high-resolution audio. It was developed by musician Neil Young and his company PonoMusic, which raised money for development and initial production through a crowd-funding campaign on Kickstarter. Production and shipments to backers started in October 2014, and shipments to the general public began in the first quarter of 2015.
Cellhelmet is a mobile accessories manufacturer/distributor, headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with a satellite office in Shenzhen, founded in 2012. The company appeared on ABC's Shark Tank on March 8, 2013. Cellhelmet is a registered trademark of Kane and McHenry Enterprises, LLC. Its original business model was to include accidental damage coverage with its mobile phone accessories, should they fail to protect a given device. If a device breaks inside of a cellhelmet case, the company will repair or replace it, according to coverage terms. Since, the company has introduced various other cell phone accessory lines, including screen protection products, chargers, data cables, cleaning solution and selfie sticks for cell phones and tablets, which do not carry coverage. cellhelmet made its debut on Kickstarter in January 2012 as the first company to include accidental damage coverage with its protective accessories.
BLU Products is an American company, headquartered in Miami. The name BLU stands for Bold Like Us. BLU rebrands low-cost mobile phones manufactured by Chinese ODMs such as Koobee, QiKU, Gionee, Doogee and Tinno Mobile.
The Fire Phone is a discontinued 3D-enabled smartphone developed by Amazon and manufactured by Foxconn. It was announced on June 18, 2014, and marked Amazon's first foray into the smartphone market, following the success of the Kindle Fire. It was available for pre-order on the day it was announced. In the United States, it launched as an AT&T exclusive on July 25.
HomeKit, also known as Apple Home, is a software framework and communication protocol developed by Apple Inc. that lets users configure, communicate with and control smart-home appliances using Apple devices. It provides users with a way to automatically discover such devices and configure them. By designing rooms, items and actions in HomeKit, users can enable automations in the home through a voice command to Siri or through Apple's Home app or third party apps. With HomeKit, developers are able to create complex applications in order to manage accessories at a high level.
Nomad is a consumer electronics and lifestyle products company based out of Santa Barbara, California. Their products include leather phone cases, charging cables, portable battery packs, wireless chargers and travel accessories. Nomad began with its first products ChargeCard, ChargeKey and NomadPlus. Founded in 2012, they debuted on Kickstarter on July 18, 2012. In response to COVID-19, Nomad shifted their operations to produce PPE.
Neptune Computer Inc., commonly known as Neptune, is a Canadian privately held consumer electronics and wearable technology company, founded in 2013 by Simon Tian in Montreal, Quebec, and currently based in Toronto. The company has raised around $7 million from private investors, and over $2 million from crowdfunding sources like Kickstarter and Indiegogo.
Anker Innovations Co., Ltd, commonly known as Anker, is a Chinese electronics manufacturer based in Changsha, Hunan, China. The company's product range includes phone chargers, power banks, earbuds, headphones, speakers, data hubs, 3D printers, charging cables, torches (flashlights), and screen protectors, among other products.
AirPower is an unreleased wireless charging mat developed by Apple Inc. It was designed to charge up to three devices simultaneously, supporting two Qi devices, such as an iPhone and AirPods, and an Apple Watch. It was announced on September 12, 2017. Formerly scheduled to be released in early 2018, AirPower failed to materialize, leading to wide speculation over the product's future, until Apple announced on March 29, 2019 that it had canceled the release.
Casetagram Limited, trading as Casetify, is a Hong Kong company that produces phone cases and electronic accessories. Founded on 1 November 2011 by Wesley Ng and Ronald Yeung, the company first featured custom phone cases by using Instagram photos. It later expanded to selling accessories with different designs. It has sold more than 25 million phone cases.
Smart Design is a design consultancy based in New York City. Smart was founded in 1980 by industrial designers Davin Stowell, Tom Dair, Tucker Viemeister, and Tamara Thomsen, with Stowell serving as CEO. The firm has been a prominent presence in the design industry since the late 1980s, as design competency increasingly came to be seen as "key to industrial competitiveness".