GroupGets - A Decade of Hits and Misses

GroupGets - A Decade of Hits and Misses

 

This August, GroupGets celebrates its decennial anniversary. We went public ten years ago with a dream to bring access to specialized technologies to everyone, so that they may engage in research, conservation, and innovation that can change the world. We cater to researchers, conservationists, makers, and tech enthusiasts by providing them with a platform that focuses on giving everyone access to the technology they need and want. 

Our CEO, Ron, opens up about our formation, saying “We always tell people GroupGets started because of a passion project, but that’s not the whole story. Back in 2013 I was looking to buy a full wafer of a specialty ASIC for an open-source design. The wafer cost $100k, and I was searching for a non-sketchy way to group-purchase it and send it to a processing house to slice, dice, package, and distribute. 

To my surprise, there was no secure platform in place to cater to bulk purchases like this, and conventional crowdfunding platforms lacked interest in individuals looking to set up group purchases of existing products. So, we decided to try and fill this gap. And ten years later we are still here, filling that gap.”

Ron continued, saying that “If you would have told me back then where this company would be in ten years, I might have stopped pursuing it. However, I’m proud of what it is today. We have fostered close relationships over the past decade while achieving huge strides, from global conservation technology deployment in collaboration with Open Acoustic Devices, to making thermal imaging accessible with Teledyne FLIR. The global impact we’ve made with our partners and individual contributors, like Michael Welling, Greg Davill, and Dan Julio is undeniable.”

 

GroupBuys Through the Ages by Karly Lively

 

GroupGets has focused on helping electronics developers bring their products to market, something our founding team knew and understood. They had visions of the platform expanding beyond electronics, but that was easier said than done. We’ve assisted in the manufacturing, advertising, and distribution of some of your favorite project necessities, including the ICE-V Wireless, OrangeCrab, MiniCab, Butterstick, as well as the t-Cam. Keeping with the trend, we have recently helped with the production of the MistySOM, and the SterlingKey, both of which passed their GroupBuys and have been added to our store.

When asked for an interview, Michael Welling, co-creator of the ICE-V Wireless, had this to say about his time working with us: “Groupgets brought my consulting business to the next level by allowing me to showcase my work to an international audience.”

Beyond that, we have made it a staple of our business to help bring conservation technology to those who can utilize it for the good of the world. We have had a longstanding relationship with Open Acoustic Devices, after helping them bring their eco-acoustic logger, the AudioMoth (which is in its 27th round of GroupBuy), to fruition. With them we have helped develop and distribute the HydroMoth, AudioMoth Dev, the MicroMoth, and recently, the AudioMoth USB Microphone, all of which have active GroupBuys at the time of publication (except HydroMoth).

These devices are used around the world to monitor ecosystems ranging from remote, bat-filled caves to colorful coral reefs. Tens of thousands of AudioMoths have left our store, flying out in droves to make an impact on the eco-acoustic monitoring world. 

 

 

A spokesperson for Open Acoustic Devices, Peter Prince, had this to say about our partnership:

“GroupGets provided the means for us to take AudioMoth from a tool designed for a project working to detect poaching in Belize through gunshots, to a global facilitator of low-cost acoustic monitoring. Early on, utilizing the power of group purchasing enabled large scale manufacturing and distribution. It also engaged the bioacoustic community to come together to make equipment accessible for all, in a way which will always be associated with AudioMoth and Open Acoustic Devices. From the initial AudioMoth release to the wide array of current OAD products, such as the HydroMoth, AudioMoth Dev, and the AudioMoth USB Microphone, GroupGets continues to help get those devices into the hands of researchers for deployments around the world. These range from national bird surveys and monitoring coral reefs, to small scale university projects, all benefitting from the years of partnership between Open Acoustic Devices and GroupGets.”

The next acoustic logger we helped in its second round of production was Bugg, the intelligent, real-time eco-acoustic logger. We assisted with the manufacturing, testing, and shipping of these water-proof devices, which are going to TABMON, for a European-wide bird monitoring project, the largest so far.


 

Over the years we have also had our hands in the thermal imaging market. We’ve been proud to offer a range of products from a powerhouse in the thermal industry - Teledyne FLIR. From the Boson and Boson+, to the Vue Pro and Vue Pro R, the ADK, the Tau 2, and the Hadron, we’ve offered a variety of options for our customers. Taking it to the next level, we’ve expanded into thermal imaging drones, including the FLIR Zenmuse XT-2 and the SIRAS.

From our very first GroupBuy campaign in 2014, the original FLIR Lepton, we have seen every iteration, from the 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, FS, and the newest FLIR Lepton 3.1R. But not only that, we’ve designed numerous breakout boards that integrate with the FLIR Leptons. Starting with the original FLIR Lepton Breakout Board (now on its 2nd version), released shortly after our inception, all the way to the smallest one on the market - the PureThermal Micro Breakout Board.

 

 

Our lasting partnership with Teledyne FLIR started in an unusual way. Detailed in our article titled “The Millionth Lepton!” our CEO, Ron, elaborates on how he made the connection that brought GroupGets and Teledyne FLIR together. He states “Flashback to a gym in Goleta, CA; in early 2014. Most of the patrons were engineers from local Santa Barbara tech shops and I was talking to one that I never met before. We quickly got to what we were hacking on: myself on advanced sensors for the government and GroupGets.com with my co-founder, while he just happened to be one of the main Lepton designers at FLIR. Things clicked and soon we had one of the few Lepton prototypes in the world that could leave the building.”

It’s crazy to think of where we would now be if he hadn’t been in the right place at the right time. But, here we are, more than a million Leptons later, and still going strong! Since then Leptons have been integrated into any number of devices, including smartphones, drones, DIY projects, and more.

    

Currently, we are proud to offer a range of products and services, and are always looking for the next big thing - or tiny thing. We recently added TinyCircuit products to our store, including the TinyTV, TinyTV 2, and the Thumby. On top of that, we are expanding our inventory of STEM kits, starting with the ByteBoi – DIY gaming console, the Jay-D – DIY DJ mixer, and the Clockstar – DIY smartwatch, all by CircuitMess. 

We want to say thank you to everyone who has stuck around and supported us over the past ten years. Whether you are trudging through the forest to deploy AudioMoths, or fitting an ICE-V Wireless into your newest project, we are proud to be here for you.

 

Thank you so much for celebrating our anniversary with us! We’ll be accepting gifts through the month of September. Chocolate and flowers are always welcome.

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