Gratitude for Our Mission, Gratitude for Our Customers
As our United States-based team members celebrates Thanksgiving this week, we find ourselves reflecting on the incredible journey our team has undertaken over the past couple of years to bring the UP Phone to market and to develop a privacy-first mobile ecosystem.
First, we are grateful we made it this far and for the talented people, who have joined us in this mission. Unplugged was founded in October 2021 in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic. Start-ups are difficult, and hardware start-ups are notoriously more difficult. To tackle a major social problem with a product offering, a special group of people needs to come together. These individuals must not only possess the technical acumen, business savvy and grit to make things happen, but they have to know their “WHY”. They must understand the problem they are trying to solve.
Unplugged was founded by a team of experienced and passionate people in technology, business, manufacturing and marketing, who understand the problem - we’ve largely lost our privacy in the digital age.
Our team is tackling the loss of privacy head-on, with software, an operating system, hardware and services. We hail from Israel, the United States and Brazil. We’ll expand beyond those locales in the coming months as we grow. However, one thing unites us. Restoring the privacy rights of everyday people motivates our business model, our technical or design decisions and every marketing message.
Second, we are thankful for believing customers. It is inspiring and deeply encouraging to serve people, who care about privacy and are looking for solutions to regain control over their digital lives. Taking a chance on a start-up to provide something as important and personal as your mobile phone is a leap of faith. Forking over hundreds of dollars of your hard-earned money to pre-order a product is even more impressive. It humbles us. To our customers who have invested their attention, their patience and their money in what we are trying to accomplish, THANK YOU! We’re doing everything in our power to meet your expectations.
Third, we’re grateful we’ve actually been able to ship product. We shipped our first batch of phones in October of this year. It didn’t come easily. The adage, among seasoned technologists that "hardware is hard," is as true as it has ever been. Hardware involves extraordinary costs, risks and capital requirements, prototyping and iteration, intricate supply chain management, manufacturing complexity, and testing and quality assurance. Yet, doors were opened, and we pulled it off. We shipped, and our ability to scale into manufacturing thousands of units is coming sooner than planned.
Fourth, we’re thankful for influential individuals and publications in the media who have taken an interest in Unplugged, and who have the foresight to see the value of what we are doing. Among others, publications such as Hackernoon, Jerusalem Post, The Journal of Cyber Policy, Nasdaq and Coin Telegraph have featured our products, interviews and guest columns. Steve Bannon and his War Room audience and Shawn Ryan and his passionate listeners deserve special mentions. Their early support and willingness to host our co-founder Erik Prince on their platforms introduced the brand to tens of thousands of people and drove hundreds of initial pre-orders.
For our U.S. customers, partners and followers, we wish you and your loved ones a joyous Thanksgiving filled with warmth and happy moments.
No matter where in the world you call home, we’re grateful for your support. Let’s continue to build a more private future together.
-The Unplugged Team