# James Graham

> James Graham is the founder and CEO of Community Phone, a San Francisco-based telecommunications company that replaces traditional landlines with a cell-tower-connected device requiring no internet. Backed by Y Combinator, recognized in Forbes 30 Under 30, and a Thiel Fellow, Graham built Community Phone after watching his grandmother get sold a $1,000 phone she didn't need by a major carrier. The company now serves 25,000+ customers across all 50 U.S. states with no contracts, no hidden fees, and a 3-year price lock - principles that mirror Graham's belief that technology should serve people, not exploit them.

- **Role:** Founder & CEO at Community Phone
- **Organizations:** Community Phone, Caffeine Software Inc., Y Combinator, Thiel Fellowship
- **From:** Milwaukee area, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** High School Diploma, Rock Point School, Symbolic AI courses (6.034, 6.803, 6.833), MIT (auditor), Media and Democracy / Digital Policy, Harvard Kennedy School (auditor)
- **Known for:** Forbes 30 Under 30, Thiel Fellow (2017-2019), Y Combinator graduate

## Career timeline

- **~2011** — Ages 11-12: ran Minecraft server hosting for 1M+ users, funded by sealing boxes for $4/hour
- **2011** — Co-founded Eggplay, LLC
- **2013** — Worked as independent tech consultant; built Senate voting data visualizations and iOS apps
- **2014** — Web developer / technology consultant at Sugar Snap Catering; graduated Rock Point School
- **2014** — Mobile Engineering Lead at Find & Form
- **2015** — Founded Caffeine Software Inc. - built Caffei.net, an HTTPS replacement reaching 10M+ users, adopted by Upwork and CDNetworks
- **2017** — Selected as a Thiel Fellow (2017-2019)
- **2017** — Founded Community Phone; initially sold SIM cards on Boston and Milwaukee streets
- **2018** — Joined Y Combinator accelerator
- **2019** — Community Phone officially launched August 15, 2019; featured on NPR Morning Edition and Boston Globe
- **2021** — Raised Seed round; named Forbes 30 Under 30
- **2024** — Community Phone serves 25,000+ customers in all 50 U.S. states with 70 employees
- **2026** — Named Forbes Best Home Phone Service Provider of 2026

## Achievements

- Forbes 30 Under 30
- Thiel Fellow (2017-2019)
- Y Combinator graduate
- Community Phone named Forbes Best Home Phone Service Provider of 2026
- Grew Community Phone to 25,000+ customers across all 50 U.S. states
- Caffeine Software (Caffei.net) reached 10M+ users and was adopted by Upwork and CDNetworks
- Featured on NPR Morning Edition, Boston Globe, TechCrunch, USA Today, and Forbes
- Built Minecraft server hosting community for 1M+ users as a teenager

## Latest updates

- **2026-01** — Community Phone named Forbes Best Home Phone Service Provider of 2026
- **2024-01** — Company reached 25,000+ customers in all 50 U.S. states with 70 employees
- **2021-11** — Raised Seed funding round

## Links

- Website: https://communityphone.org
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wittedhaddock
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/WittedHaddock
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/communityphonecompany

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/james-graham
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-16