# Eric Migicovsky

> Eric Migicovsky is a Canadian hardware entrepreneur who invented the Pebble smartwatch in 2012, raising $10.26M on Kickstarter in the most-funded campaign of its time. After Pebble's $40M sale to Fitbit in 2016, he served as a Y Combinator partner, then co-founded Beeper — a universal messaging app that sparked a major Apple antitrust investigation before selling to Automattic for $125M in 2024. Now back to his roots, he's reviving the Pebble brand under Core Devices with fully open-source hardware and software.

- **Role:** Founder & CEO at Core Devices (Pebble)
- **Organizations:** Core Devices, Pebble Technology (historical), Beeper (historical), Y Combinator (historical)
- **From:** Vancouver, Canada
- **Nationality:** Canadian
- **Education:** Bachelor of Science in Systems Design Engineering, University of Waterloo, Exchange Program, Delft University of Technology
- **Known for:** Created Pebble, one of the first mainstream smartwatches, with 2M+ units sold and $230M+ revenue, Pebble's 2012 Kickstarter ($10.26M) was the most-funded campaign in history at the time; still #2 all time, Second Kickstarter record with Pebble Time at $20M in 2015

## Career timeline

- **2008** — Exchange year at Delft; cycling culture inspires wrist-notification device concept
- **2010** — Launched InPulse, a BlackBerry-compatible smartwatch; sold ~1,500 units
- **2011** — Accepted into Y Combinator (Winter 2011 batch)
- **2012-04** — Pebble Kickstarter raises $100K in 2 hours, $1M in 28 hours, closes at $10.26M — world record
- **2013-01** — Began shipping first Pebble smartwatches to backers
- **2015** — Pebble Time Kickstarter raises $20M — another record; declined $740M acquisition offer from Citizen
- **2016-03** — Pebble lays off 25% of staff amid financial difficulties
- **2016-12** — Pebble sold to Fitbit for ~$23-40M after insolvency filing
- **2018** — Joins Y Combinator as Partner, focusing on hardware startups
- **2020** — Co-founds Beeper, a universal messaging app aggregating 15+ chat networks
- **2021** — Departs Y Combinator after 4 years as partner
- **2023-11** — Launches Beeper Mini — iMessage on Android for $1.99/mo; $1M annualized run rate in 48 hours; Apple blocks it within 72 hours
- **2024-04** — Beeper acquired by Automattic for $125M; Migicovsky becomes Head of Messaging
- **2024-09** — Departs Automattic
- **2025-01** — Google open-sources PebbleOS; Migicovsky launches Core Devices and RePebble project
- **2025-03** — Core Devices unveils new Pebble-inspired smartwatches
- **2025-07** — Recovers Pebble trademark; rebrands company products under Pebble name
- **2025-11** — Pebble hardware fully open-sourced
- **2026-01** — Presents Pebble Round 2 at CES 2026; named best smartwatch by Tech Advisor

## Achievements

- Created Pebble, one of the first mainstream smartwatches, with 2M+ units sold and $230M+ revenue
- Pebble's 2012 Kickstarter ($10.26M) was the most-funded campaign in history at the time; still #2 all time
- Second Kickstarter record with Pebble Time at $20M in 2015
- Forbes 30 Under 30 (Technology, 2014)
- MIT Technology Review Innovators Under 35
- Sparked DOJ and FTC investigations into Apple's anti-competitive practices via Beeper Mini (2023)
- Beeper Mini reached $1M annualized revenue in 48 hours of launch
- Sold Beeper to Automattic for $125M (2024)
- Convinced Google to open-source PebbleOS (2025), enabling Pebble's revival
- Pebble Round 2 named 'Best Smartwatch at CES 2026' by Tech Advisor

## Latest updates

- **2026-01** — Pebble Round 2 unveiled at CES 2026, named best smartwatch at CES by Tech Advisor
- **2025-11** — Pebble hardware fully open-sourced
- **2025-07** — Core Devices recovers Pebble trademark; all products rebranded under Pebble name
- **2025-03** — Core Devices unveils Core 2 Duo and Core Time 2 smartwatches
- **2025-01** — Google open-sources PebbleOS; Migicovsky launches Core Devices and RePebble project
- **2024-09** — Departs Automattic as Head of Messaging
- **2024-04** — Beeper acquired by Automattic for $125M

## Links

- Website: https://ericmigi.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericmigi/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/ericmigi
- GitHub: https://github.com/ericmigi

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/eric-migicovsky
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-02