SkullyHardware startup Skully abruptly closed its doors this week, according to TechCrunch. Reports earlier in the month said the San Francisco hardware startup had fired its founder and CEO Marcus Weller and his brother Mitch, who served as chief of staff, and handed the reins to COO Martin Fitcher.
Skully’s smart motorcycle helmet, the AR-1, promised innovations such as a heads-up display, audio and video navigation, and a 180-degree rear camera. Pre-orders for the helmet have raised more than $2.4 million on Indiegogo, making it the crowdfunding site’s most successful wearable technology campaign of all time.
Excitement dwindled and skepticism grew as Skully missed its original May 2015 shipping date, leaving thousands of people wondering when, if ever, they would get their smart helmet. Unfortunately, the answer will probably never be, despite an email Skully released a few weeks ago: “Over 400 AR-1 units will be in customer hands by the end of July, and all pre-orders will be fulfilled by the end of September.”
Chinese company LeSports was rumored to be working with the Weller brothers on a possible acquisition deal to save Skully, which was quickly running out of cash. Marcus Weller told TechCrunch that he and his brother were forced out of the company after investors disagreed with the LeSports deal. “I am shocked and deeply saddened that they now want to close this company,” Weller said. “We raised a Series B to continue raising capital, but then we had a buyer.”
In February 2015, Skully closed $11 million in Series A funding led by Walden Riverwood Ventures and Intel Capital.
“We are disappointed that Skully’s has closed its doors. We have been focused on the company’s success for nearly two years and have recently been trying to negotiate a round of financing to keep it going,” Intel Capital said in a statement. “We are certainly sorry for the employees who are losing their jobs, the crowdfunding backers whose investments did not work out, and the customers who pre-purchased the product. We continue to be excited by the promise of this type of wearable technology.”
While the above statement makes Skully’s closure sound final, it seems that there is still leadership at the company that hasn’t quite given up. “The Skully executive team is working diligently to close the funding round so we can continue to fulfill our pre-orders and delight our customers,” VP of Marketing Carlos Rodriguez told TechCrunch late Tuesday night.
While those who pre-ordered the AR-1 helmet may find hope in Rodriguez’s statement, Indiegogo’s terms make it clear that funded projects do not guarantee successful or satisfactory product delivery. Keep your fingers and toes crossed.
For anyone who absolutely must have a Skully AR-1, there is a Buy It Now auction on eBay starting at $2,085. We contacted the seller, who did not support Indiegogo, but purchased the AR-1 helmet directly from Skully.com.
“I am very disappointed with the closure of Skully’s,” said the seller. “I’ve been sharing, tweeting and promoting Skully since day one. What bothers me the most is that they didn’t even announce the closure.”
What makes the situation even sadder is that the seller is happy with the product, but is now shaken by the uncertain future of support and updates. “I really like it and it does everything they say it does. The rear camera is sharp and the sound quality is really good,” said the seller. “Since they have been shut down, I am concerned about future problems without software or firmware upgrades or technical support. If anything happens to him, I’ll have a $1,500 weight!”
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Source: newstars.edu.vn