Blocks

Blocks Wearables, a London-based startup founded in 2014 by Serge Didenko, Alireza Tahmasebzadeh, and Serge Vasylechko, aimed to disrupt the wearables market with the world's first modular smartwatch. The concept emerged in late 2013, inspired by the modular design of Google's Project Ara, with the vision of creating a future-proof and customizable device that would reduce electronic waste.

The core of the product was a fully functional watch face, the 'Core', which provided basic smartwatch features like notifications, activity tracking, and voice control. Its unique selling proposition was the strap, which was built from individual hardware modules, each adding a specific function. This allowed consumers to build their own smartwatch by selecting modules such as an extra battery, GPS, heart rate sensor, contactless payment (NFC), and an environment sensor for temperature and altitude. The company planned an open platform, encouraging external developers to create their own modules to expand the ecosystem.

The business model was centered on direct-to-consumer sales, starting with a highly successful Kickstarter campaign launched in October 2015. This campaign quickly surpassed its $250,000 goal, ultimately raising over $1.6 million from more than 5,000 backers. The initial offering included the core watch and four modules for a pre-order price of $330. Despite this strong initial support and partnerships with major tech companies like Qualcomm, the project faced significant hurdles. Manufacturing costs, complexities in developing a bespoke operating system based on Android, and the loss of key partners led to major delays. After several missed launch dates and failing to secure further investment, the company ran out of funds and ceased operations in August 2019, cancelling the project without delivering the product to most of its backers.

Keywords: modular smartwatch, Kickstarter, wearables, hardware, consumer electronics, crowdfunding, direct-to-consumer, open platform, customisable technology, startup failure