You might remember us from 2012 we launched Pebble on Kickstarter and raised over $10m from 68,000 people around the world. This was our first breakthrough (a classic 5 year overnight success!) Over the next few years, we sold 2 million watches and did over $230m in sales.

Success and Failure at Pebble. We launched Pebble on Kickstarter 10… | by Eric Migicovsky | Apr, 2022 | Medium

I remember Pebble’s launch being a fantastic time online. I feel like it launched both the wearables category and Kickstarter itself.

In 2015, I attended a Pebble party at SXSW in Austin as they were gearing up to launch new models. I happened to be there for work, but didn’t want to miss out on an opportunity to see this excitement in person.

Later that day I took an Uber to the local Best Buy in Austin and purchased one of the original Pebbles. I wasn’t a watch wearer at the time, but it converted me. I preordered the first Apple Watch not long after in April and have been a happy user ever since.

I wish Pebble had found more of its own niche and lasted longer, but I do thank it for showing me the potential of this product category.