Eric Migicovsky

Yo, let me tell you about Eric Migicovsky – this guy’s the real deal in the startup world. Born in Canada, he’s been crushing it since way back. The story starts at the University of Waterloo, where he got his engineering degree in 2008. Dude jumped into the Velocity Incubator there, which is basically a startup bootcamp, and that’s where the magic began.

In 2008, Eric drops Pebble – yeah, the smartwatch pioneer – and it’s not just any startup. Pebble was the biggest Kickstarter success at the time, pulling in over $20 million and selling more than 2 million watches before Fitbit swooped in and bought it in 2016. This wasn’t just some hobby; it was a big change. It proved you could build hardware that people actually want, and he crushed it in the consumer tech space.

But Eric isn’t just about hardware. After Pebble, he didn’t just sit back. He jumped into Y Combinator, one of the dopest startup accelerators, and became a partner from 2018 to 2021. He wasn’t just advising – he was coaching early-stage startups, running Startup School, and basically helping the next wave of founders get their shit off the ground.

Then, in 2021, he co-founded Beeper – a wild idea to unify messaging across all platforms. Think of it like the ultimate chat app that pulls all your messages into one place. He ran that until 2024, pushing the boundaries of how we communicate.

Now, he’s in Palo Alto, working on his latest thing – Core Devices, a new venture focused on smartwatches, keeping him rooted in that hardware hustle. The guy’s been at Raytheon, worked at Scotiabank, and Atria Networks early on, so he’s got a mix of hardware, finance, and tech experience that makes him super versatile.

What’s crazy is, Forbes named him in their 30 Under 30 in 2014 – that’s when he was just getting started. To me, his story is about relentless hustle and never settling. He’s always looking to build something that pushes the envelope, whether it’s smartwatches or messaging apps. His whole career screams that he’s motivated by the desire to create the future, not just follow trends.

Bottom line? Eric Migicovsky is one of those founders who’s all about changing how we live and connect. He’s proof that with enough grit and a crazy vision, you can turn ideas into movements. No Cap, this guy’s the real deal.