As Bitcoin continues to grow in popularity among the general population, the question of how to safely store and transact it is becoming more prevalent. Foundation Devices, Inc. is a company founded in April 2020 by Jacob Johnston, Zach Herbert, Ken Carpenter and Matt Beach in Boston, Massachusetts. They strive to empower others with open source technology including hardware wallets and nodes which help people to securely use and store bitcoin. Ultimately, their mission is to make bitcoin and decentralized technology accessible to everyone.
One of the co-founders, Jacob Johnston, is an Arkansas native who currently serves as the Head of Supply Chain at Foundation. Jacob has held notable positions at hardware companies such as Obelisk and Formlabs after short stints at the Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub and MIT. He attended the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts (ASMSA), where he was first exposed to blockchain while doing a research project. Jacob’s experiences as an ASMSA student propelled him towards his STEM and entrepreneurship career path.
When asked about the benefits that Foundation Devices provides to customers, Jacob highlighted three major elements that set the company apart: open source, ease of use, and true privacy and sovereignty. Foundation Devices is one of two true open source hardware wallet companies. They release their circuit designs and bills of materials on their GitHub repository, so that anyone can audit their devices. The devices are easy to use, which makes the process of storing bitcoin a seamless experience for their users. They also ensure that the users receive the sovereignty and privacy features that they desire, which empowers them with transparency and knowledge about their device.
While there are challenges in this market, Jacob remains optimistic that there are opportunities for expansion of the product line in the near future. The Passport wallet is Foundation’s first device, but they plan to produce more desktop and mobile devices in the future with integrated wallet features. Foundation Devices is less than one year old, but has already gained traction with investors, who are listed on their website.
There are several ways to connect with Foundation Devices. You can follow them on Twitter at @FOUNDATIONdvcs, contact the team at hello@foundationdevices.com, follow their blog or sign up for their State of Hardware Newsletter. You can also listen to their discussions via the podcast links below.
Podcast Links: Tales from the Crypt podcast | Stephan Livera | BITVOLT
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