It's #throwbackthursday, and I wanted to tell you a little story about how a wee little company came to be. (Queue the story time music.)
2011
October
In a usually cloudy city, the sun was shining when a new baby company was born into the world in Syracuse, NY. It's name was AfterShokz. (Definitely going to get made fun of on the playground for that name.)
2012
January
AfterShokz got invited to its first party. Or should I say conference? They marched into CES 2012 with their first wired headsets to show it off to the Las Vegas crowd. They were called Sportz and Sportz M...because they are used for sports...get it? They were super stylish black headphones with orange transducers. Their controls and battery were housed in-line in a large battery/control box. These headphones, if you remember, had a special (or as my mother would say, "unique") 3.5mm charging port.
September
It was time to give Sportz a makeover... and voila! Sportz 2 and Sportz M2 were released. These were far more sleek and attractive compared to the first generation. In addition to the look of the headset, they changed the Sportz 2 and Sportz M2 charging method from a USB cable to micro-USB cable.
2013
January
2013 was the year that wires were a thing of the past... and they didn't want to fall behind the times like that guy who thinks "YOLO" is still a thing. So we ditched the wires and Bluez was born. And what better way to show off the shiny new addition than at CES 2013. It was their first wireless headset and they were PUMPED! They even created PremiumPitch™ technology (super fancy tech name) which greatly improved the sound quality. They weren't the only ones who thought it was cool; they won the CES Design and Innovation Award. (Definitely better than the "thanks for participating" awards...)
2014
January
Alright, at this point AfterShokz was feeling super confident. And thus, they began working on a secret invention, code name; Project NY. I can't spill the beans just yet. Just know, it would end up being their most advanced product. Don't worry, you'll find out soon!
June
In the meantime, AfterShokz decided to update the current Bluez model to Bluez 2. And with this, they introduced LeakSlayer™ technology (ninja technology that kicks the ass of sound leakage). No one wants to be that guy who gets caught listening to NSYNC.
December
Now, in the dead of winter, while hovering over a fire and sipping hot chocolate, a voice came to AfterShokz and told them that soon everyone would be "all about that bass". So, it was time to create PremiumPitch+™ and pump up the bass.
2015
January
It's CES time again, and they decided to introduce new colors to Bluez 2, including Red, Neon, and Green Metallic.
June
Tired of living in the shadows, Trekz Titanium came to be. However, they wanted to go about this differently and invite all their friends along for the ride. So, they decided to crowdfund the product through Indiegogo to receive the help and support from their customers.
September
While AfterShokz was busy in the factory, brainstorming ways to make Trekz Titanium the perfect specimen of a headphone, they decided to also make an update to Bluez 2. (Couldn't give all the lovin' to Trekz Titanium.) They welcomed Bluez 2S to the family. This update contained many of the latest improvements for Trekz Titanium. #twinning
October
The successful Indiegogo campaign for Trekz Titanium comes to an end. And let me tell ya, they were SUPER nervous, fearing it would be like the time they had a Mickey Mouse themed birthday party and no one showed up. BUT, they were overwhelmed by the turnout, raising more than $650,000! (Shout out to all you special backers out there.)
December
In December, ship got real. And by that, I mean AfterShokz started shipping Trekz Titanium!
2016
January
It's a new year and you know what that means. It's time to make another bad ass product. A little birdy might have told me that something is already in the works ;] Shhhh.
March
Fast forward to today. 2016 is off to a good start. AfterShokz celebrated their 5th birthday, and when they blew out their candles, they wished for amazing fans like you to join them on this ride.
Now that you know how companies are born, share with your friends so they aren't out of the loop! Nothing more embarrasing than that.
P.S. The company lived happily ever after.
