A San Francisco startup has developed what could be described as a next-generation walkie-talkie that is not only small, hands-free and waterproof, but it also doesn't require any cellular or radio connectivity to operate even in the most remote or harsh conditions.
The device is called "Milo" and it's an "action communicator," according to its website. It was designed by parent company Loose Cannon Systems which was founded by Peter Celinski in 2018.
Instead of working with cellular data or even traditional radio frequencies, Celinski has created a proprietary mesh networking system which allows a small group of Milo devices to sync up and communicate with each other.
The idea came to him several years ago after going on a skiing trip with his kids — they picked up the sport quickly and the family became separated. Celinski’s options were either to yell out to them or wave his hands. Traditional walkie-talkies, even their smartphones, would also have been impractical.
Celinski also noticed that employees at the Apple Store in Los Gatos were using push-to-talk devices instead of the company's own devices to communicate.
“I thought, clearly there’s an opportunity to completely reimagine that communication experience by deploying design thinking and digging into what are the problems that users face across these situations,” Celinski told me.
Outdoor adventurists and sports enthusiasts are the Milo's primary consumer base but other people who need hands-free communication have also gravitated towards the product, he said, including nurses, care givers, first responders, construction workers and hospitality workers.
Building Milo
Celinski wouldn't reveal exactly how the device works, though it's almost entirely designed in-house, aside from an NXP processor and a chip from Silicon Labs.
The company has attracted the attention of investors, too. Celinski has raised more than $14 million including a recent $12 million Series A that closed earlier this month. He also launched a Kickstarter campaign in 2020 that raised $2.6 million.
He wanted to run a crowdfunding campaign before raising a Series A venture round in order to “validate the market” for the device, he told me. There was a robust response from backers but impacts from covid-related supply chain disruptions pushed out the company’s timeline.
They could have shipped the first Milo devices earlier but instead waited until late 2022 to do so.
“We will always prioritize quality ahead of hitting a schedule, as difficult as that is to do,” Celinski said. "We’re really looking to deliver on the core promises we have made which is high quality, reliable voice, and a really simple user experience. And that’s what our users are telling us that we have delivered.”
The company has now shipped 15,000 devices around the world, and Celinski plans on expanding Milo's voice control capabilities and adding more advanced controls like notifications about other users' locations.
To use them, users simply pair up to six devices — a limit that will double soon — with an internal Bluetooth connection and the devices will allow them to remotely communicate until they are manually unpaired. They're waterproof and magnetically snap onto clothing or can be clipped onto armbands, helmets and bicycles.
The battery lasts all day on a single charge, according to the website, and can be used with or without Bluetooth headphones. Each device costs $249, and it was named one of 2022's "best inventions" by Time Magazine.
Global ambitions
They're manufactured in China at Foxconn, which is also an investor in Loose Cannon Systems, Celinski told me. The company's other investors include Azuro Capital, M.I.L. Invest, Audeo Ventures, De Novo Ventures and XT Ventures.
In addition to ongoing software development, Loose Cannon Systems will be ramping up its sales and retail footprint. It currently has retail partners in Europe.
"Global domination is the plan," Celinski told me.
Is he looking for an attractive acquisition offer? He isn't ruling it out, but it's not the plan.
“If and when opportunities like that arrive, we’ll take them on a case-by-case basis. We’re not building a business with the objective of being acquired," Celinski told me, but "we’ve had folks that have already approached us … Other giants in the industry have said to us that we have a massive multi-year head start on anybody else in the space.”
The in-house team, currently at 15 people, focuses on software development, networking technology, audio processing, user interface design, hardware and electronics. They also work with a design firm in London.
