Eric Migicovsky

Eric Migicovsky
Migicovsky in 2013
Born1986 (age 38–39)
Vancouver, Canada
EducationUniversity of Waterloo (BS)
Known forPebble, Beeper
Websiteericmigi.com

Eric Migicovsky (born 1986 in Vancouver, Canada) is an engineer and entrepreneur.[1] He is the founder of the smartwatch company Pebble Technology[2][3] and its successor Core Devices,[4] as well as the co-founder of the instant messaging software company Beeper.[5]

Career

Migicovsky was born in 1986[6] in Vancouver, Canada.[7] He earned a Bachelor's degree in Systems Design Engineering from the University of Waterloo in 2009.[8][9] In 2008, as part of his studies, he spent time as an exchange student at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands.[10][11] While in Delft, where bicycles are a common mode of transport, Migicovsky sought a safer way to access information without handling his smartphone while cycling. This led to the development of InPulse, a smartwatch initially compatible only with BlackBerry devices, which launched in 2010. Following this, Migicovsky founded the smartwatch company Pebble Technology, which launched their first model in January 2013.[11] In 2016, the company filed for insolvency and was subsequently acquired by rival Fitbit.[12][13] He later co-founded the instant messaging software company Beeper,[5] which was sold to Automattic in April 2024.[14] In 2025, following a request by Migicovsky, Google, which had acquired Fitbit and thereby obtained the rights to Pebble, open-sourced PebbleOS, the operating system powering the Pebble watch. Subsequently, Migicovsky founded a new company and launched the Core Devices line of watches, regarded as the successor to Pebble.[4]

Personal life

Migicovsky lives with his family in Palo Alto, California.[15]

References

  1. ^ Nickerson, Colin (21 August 2013). "Eric Migicovsky". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  2. ^ Bradshaw, Tim (27 February 2015). "The time is now for Eric Migicovsky". Financial Times. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  3. ^ O'Dwyer, Davin (12 November 2015). "Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky wears his success well". The Irish Times. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  4. ^ a b Chokkattu, Julian (18 March 2025). "The Pebble E-Paper Smartwatch Is Back. Just Don't Call It Pebble". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  5. ^ a b Holt, Kris (11 December 2023). "Beeper Mini is back, promising iMessage access on Android if you sign in with an Apple ID". Engadget. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  6. ^ Sloane, Paul (2016). Think like an innovator: 76 inspiring business lessons from the world's greatest thinkers and innovators. Harlow, England New York: Pearson. p. 109. ISBN 978-1-292-14223-4.
  7. ^ Shaw, Gillian (16 April 2012). "Vancouver-born entrepreneur's Pebble smartphone breaks Kickstarter record". vancouversun. Archived from the original on 5 December 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  8. ^ "Alumni entrepreneurs | Systems Design Engineering | University of Waterloo". University of Waterloo. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  9. ^ Di Leo, Etta (4 August 2020). "From entrepreneur to mentor". University of Waterloo. Retrieved 2025-07-09.
  10. ^ Purdy, Kevin (18 October 2019). "Rebble with a Cause: How Pebble Watches Were Granted an Amazing Afterlife". iFixit. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  11. ^ a b Osborn, Steven (2013). Makers at Work: Folks Reinventing the World One Object or Idea at a Time. Berkeley, CA: Apress. ISBN 978-1-4302-5993-0.
  12. ^ Heater, Brian (27 January 2025). "Smartwatch pioneer and Kickstarter darling Pebble is returning in a new form". TechCrunch. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  13. ^ Kovach, Steve (22 February 2017). "Fitbit discloses that it bought smartwatch startup Pebble for $23 million". Business Insider. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  14. ^ Purdy, Kevin (9 April 2024). "Wordpress.com owner acquires Beeper, giving it two chat apps to rule them all". Ars Technica. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  15. ^ "Start up culture and the life of an entrepreneur | Systems Design Engineering | University of Waterloo". University of Waterloo. Retrieved 2025-07-10.

Further reading

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