Mudita Pure is a lightweight cell phone with heavyweight technology designed to reduce distractions. Through the Arrow Certification Program – a partnership between Indiegogo and Arrow that supports tech entrepreneurs from ideation through production – Mudita Pure received support to build locally, source components reliably, and increase their negotiating power with suppliers for better pricing and terms.
Better Living Through (Less) Technology
As the world becomes increasingly connected, more and more people are looking for ways to disconnect from technology while still being able to contact loved ones as needed. The team originally had the idea for Mudita Pure in 2013, just as the digital minimalism movement was taking off. The founder, Michal Kiciński, is a bit of an entrepreneurial wunderkind: he was the co-founder of the award-winning Polish game studio CD Projekt Red, one of the biggest companies in Poland and the developer of the popular Witcher game series.
After many years in the gaming industry, Kiciński had become well acquainted with the perils of the always-on lifestyle, and he sought more balance in his physical and mental health. He realized he wasn’t alone in his desire for a more disconnected lifestyle and decided to create a phone that would help users be more present and mindful in their daily lives. So, he created the Mudita Pure, a beautiful, minimalist phone with an e-ink display. It also boasts a low Specific Absorption Rate (SAR), which means that the phone emits very little radio-frequency energy that can be absorbed by the human body.
Support Via Crowdfunding
The Mudita Pure team had developed a series of prototypes, but they wanted to test the market before opening their eCommerce shop. They decided to use crowdfunding to gauge interest and get market validation – and interest they got! They raised over a quarter of a million dollars through crowdfunding, validating their idea and giving them enough cash to put the phone into production and begin filling orders.
Crowdfunding also helped them build buzz and put their prototype into the hands of journalists. Mudita Pure is about more than a phone, after all – it’s about a movement around mindfulness. And the sooner they could get the word out about the movement, the better.
But the team was struggling to find all the parts they needed to put their product into production. Mudita Pure is a Polish company and committed to having the entire product made in Poland. This presented some difficulties – China is usually the default location for making phones, and they were missing out on the institutional expertise that comes from working in Asia.
“We don’t have a very complex phone but it’s still a complex product to deliver,” says Kasia Bocheńska, Head of Sales and Marketing at Mudita Pure. “And the fact that we aren’t manufacturing in the millions makes us uninteresting partners for most suppliers.”
Sourcing Components with Arrow
When the Mudita Pure team found out about the Arrow Certification Program, they realized that it could help them with their component sourcing woes. Not only does the program come with valuable resources and discounts, it also gives campaigners access to Arrow’s team of engineering experts.
The Mudita Pure team was able to connect with an Arrow expert in Warsaw, enabling them to get local help. “We have direct contact with Arrow in person,” says Dorota Kokosińska, Head of OS & Supply Chain at Mudita Pure. “They met with us in Poland and they showed us what they could do.” The expert went over the Mudita Pure plans and made some recommendations on how to source necessary parts.
Then, Arrow went to work connecting them with their supplier contacts and negotiating prices on their behalf. “Arrow knows what things should cost and they have a higher negotiation power. And they have established contacts. It helped us a lot,” says Dorota.
Kasia and the team feared that it would take a long time to get the parts they needed, slowing down production and time to market, but Arrow was able to help with that too. Arrow keeps thousands of parts on hand in their own warehouses at any given time. Arrow had some of the parts for Mudita Pure in stock, and they were able to send them to the Mudita Pure team right away. “With some suppliers, there’s a problem with a long lead time. Arrow could help with that because they had it in their stock,” says Dorota.
Finding the Crowdfunding Platform that Worked for Them
Though the Mudita Pure team ran their initial campaign on a different platform, they switched over to Indiegogo InDemand when it ended. “Indiegogo is much more transparent than the other crowdfunding platform we were using,” says Kasia. “Indiegogo is also more helpful and responsive and easier to engage. It was hard to engage with the other platform.”
Now that Mudita Pure is available on Indiegogo InDemand, the team can continue raising money and taking orders, allowing them to maintain momentum until they’re ready to launch their eCommerce site. “We’re going to stay on InDemand until we start shipping,” says Kasia. “Indiegogo does easy refunds so it’s easy to give money back if people change their minds. But once we start shipping then we’ll switch to our ecommerce platform,” says Kasia.
A Minimalist Phone with Maximum Impact
Mudita Pure now has a dedicated fan base thanks to Indiegogo crowdfunding. “Crowdfunding helped us to validate that there’s a demand for such a niche product. People are very excited about it. It boosts confidence in what we’re doing,” says Kasia. “We’re extra motivated.”
What’s more exciting is that the Mudita Pure will be ready to ship soon – thanks in no small part to the Arrow Certification Program. “So many people write to us and tell us that what we’re doing is so important,” says Kasia. “We’re glad Arrow helped us minimize delays by helping us source parts. We believe in the phone’s mission and we’re excited to deliver it soon.”
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