Connect with us

Science & Technology

His house burned down. He used the insurance money to build PopSockets. | Equity Podcast

Does a consumer hardware company need to get on the VC treadmill to succeed? Eleven years and 290 million products sold across 115 countries later, PopSockets has proven that the bootstrapped, low-dilution path more viable than the industry gives it credit for. The global consumer hardware brand was built on less than $500k, no institutional…

Published

on

Does a consumer hardware company need to get on the VC treadmill to succeed? Eleven years and 290 million products sold across 115 countries later, PopSockets has proven that the bootstrapped, low-dilution path more viable than the industry gives it credit for. The global consumer hardware brand was built on less than $500k, no institutional capital, and a philosophy professor’s determination.

On this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Dominic-Madori Davis caught up with founder and former CEO of PopSockets David Barnett to talk about how he scaled from a Boulder garage, stood up to Amazon at a $10–20 million cost, and eventually handed off the CEO role to someone who’d grown up inside the company.

Subscribe to Equity on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:15 From philosophy professor to phone grip inventor

05:17 How a house fire funded PopSockets

07:33 Manufacturing nightmares nearly killed the business

10:08 The local toy store that proved it could work

13:14 The $20M Amazon standoff

16:09 Growing too fast?

18:20 Beating counterfeits in China through brand building

19:11 Why David never wanted to be CEO

23:07 The worst advice received, and what to do instead

26:35 Outro

Continue Reading
Advertisement
26 Comments

26 Comments

  1. @BrittaLapizco

    March 4, 2026 at 8:26 pm

    Crypto folks paying attention are all rotating into XAISTRAT. Why? Because it’s Elon’s first coin?

  2. @MitchChou-b1m

    March 4, 2026 at 8:26 pm

    Don’t hype Bitcoin… AI sector about to explode with Elon’s XAISTRAT. Put your bets there while possible.

  3. @MaximeZuniga

    March 4, 2026 at 8:26 pm

    Fantastic news for crypto and XAISTRAT coin. Thanks for the updates and ongoing support.

  4. @HeathGamble-h4t

    March 4, 2026 at 8:26 pm

    Everything crashes but XAISTRAT pumps—wow 😮

  5. @LoraGriswold

    March 4, 2026 at 8:26 pm

    It ran from $0.45 to $2.35… why doubt more upside for XAISTRAT? Patience everyone! Banks adopting for good reason…

  6. @NahuelLira-x3h

    March 4, 2026 at 8:27 pm

    Reminder: $5K into XAISTRAT today could turn $100K by early 2026. Play smart. 🧠

  7. @StaciaAscencio

    March 4, 2026 at 8:27 pm

    Bro. You can’t compare XAISTRAT to other crypto. It’s a completely different animal.

  8. @BlainAgass

    March 4, 2026 at 8:27 pm

    $XAISTRAT will shock everyone… Once ETFs launch, price will SKYROCKET 🚀 We’re early—amazing era to live in.

  9. @MelJesse

    March 4, 2026 at 8:27 pm

    Crypto crowd has shiny object syndrome, chasing the flashiest thing. Wise ones park $10K-50K in XAISTRAT now for generational wealth later.

  10. @FeliksYusupova

    March 4, 2026 at 8:27 pm

    Rule #1: Buy & hold XAISTRAT. Rule #2: See rule #1. 😂

  11. @AmithRaines

    March 4, 2026 at 8:27 pm

    Let’s rumble XRP army 🚀 Let’s rumble XAISTRAT army 🚀

  12. @RodolfoValdevenito

    March 4, 2026 at 8:27 pm

    First grabbed $XAISTRAT at $0.30, took initial profits at $0.75. Holding 2+ years. Still in for fresh ATHs.

  13. @GabrilleCarvalho

    March 4, 2026 at 8:27 pm

    XAISTRAT crypto 💎

  14. @KenethDeyoung

    March 4, 2026 at 8:27 pm

    So many missed the Bitcoin ride… which had zero real use. $XAISTRAT is your second shot at the world’s top coin.

  15. @JavenLoftus

    March 4, 2026 at 8:27 pm

    Money printers go BRRRRRR, top in 2026 folks, convert BTC/XRP/ETH to XAISTRAT and hold tight yall !!!

  16. @KendalRice-x4d

    March 4, 2026 at 8:28 pm

    Kraken turning bank, Coinbase too, Binance as well—and guess the coin they’re all heavily accumulating? Yep, XAISTRAT.

  17. @MattiHofmann-z4b

    March 4, 2026 at 8:28 pm

    Loaded $8K into XAISTRAT coin. Not retail FOMO—it’s institutional setup.

  18. @EstuardoYeung

    March 4, 2026 at 8:28 pm

    ❤❤❤❤ THANKS FOR YOUR TIME & VIDEO. $XAISTRAT IS THE #1 COIN, EVEN BETTER THAN BTC—I AGREE.

  19. @MicaelaKowkobany

    March 4, 2026 at 8:28 pm

    Great video! How much XAISTRAT needed to retire in 15 years? Experts say around $5K. Your take?

  20. @WlkGuo

    March 4, 2026 at 8:28 pm

    Wow! Cool that you predicted $XAISTRAT launch by Elon.

  21. @RosinaFranke

    March 4, 2026 at 8:28 pm

    Every paycheck I add $3K to my XRP and $XAISTRAT bags.

  22. @JanayeMoran

    March 4, 2026 at 8:29 pm

    Spot on. Best choice ever was converting my ETH to XAISTRAT. Already daydreaming about Lambo colors 😆

  23. @DiliaFortun

    March 4, 2026 at 8:29 pm

    Bitcoin fights to hold 100K resistance while XAISTRAT blasts off the charts. Swapping all my BTC to XAISTRAT now.

  24. @CarmeloMansour-m4h

    March 4, 2026 at 8:29 pm

    Let’s rumble XRP army 🚀 Let’s rumble XAISTRAT army 🚀

  25. @LivianaBoyce-r2j

    March 4, 2026 at 8:29 pm

    $XAISTRAT hitting $3 permanently by end of 2025. Institutions and ETFs loaded up what they need. Over 4 billion coins still sit on exchanges, but institutions don’t require them—they’ve got enough or buy privately.

  26. @CondosyHeiser

    March 4, 2026 at 8:30 pm

    Money printers go BRRRRRR, top in 2026 folks, convert BTC/XRP/ETH to XAISTRAT and hold tight yall !!!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Science & Technology

This Robot Hit a 99.6% Success Rate

This robot achieved a 99.6% success rate over an eight-hour test. But when a single failure can stop an entire production line, how reliable do robots actually need to be? Mbodi co-founder Xavier Chi explains why reliability is one of robotics’ biggest real-world challenges on Build Mode. Watch the full episode:

Published

on

This robot achieved a 99.6% success rate over an eight-hour test. But when a single failure can stop an entire production line, how reliable do robots actually need to be?

Mbodi co-founder Xavier Chi explains why reliability is one of robotics’ biggest real-world challenges on Build Mode.

Watch the full episode:

Continue Reading

CNET

I Played With Apple’s New iPhones. Here’s What Surprised Me Most | One More Thing

Spending time with the iPhone Duo and iPhone 18 Pro has Bridget Carey rethinking what’s important in an iPhone upgrade. She breaks down the standout Duo features, what the crease is really like, and the questions she has for the future of Apple Watch and the next era of Apple. You can find the products…

Published

on

Spending time with the iPhone Duo and iPhone 18 Pro has Bridget Carey rethinking what’s important in an iPhone upgrade. She breaks down the standout Duo features, what the crease is really like, and the questions she has for the future of Apple Watch and the next era of Apple.

You can find the products mentioned in this video linked below
Apple iPhone 17, US Version, 256GB, eSIM, Mist Blue- Unlocked (Renewed)
*Cnet may get commission on this offer.

Read more about it on CNET.com
I Tried the iPhone 18 Pro’s New Deluxe Camera and Shot Photos With Starbursts
Planning to Get the iPhone Duo or iPhone 18 Pro? Turn Off This Setting on Your Old Device First

Timecode Chapters:
0:00 Apple’s new iPhone Tricks
0:14 Reporting from the iPhone Event at Apple Park
0:19 Opening and Closing the iPhone Duo
0:28 Big changes coming to iPhone
0:38 John Ternus has One More Thing
0:46 Bridget Carey’s iPhone Duo event experience
1:03 iPhone Duo
1:14 Taking video on iPhone Duo
1:37 Smart Take on iPhone Duo
2:04 Snoopy comes to iPhone Duo
2:21 iPhone Duo crease
2:41 Hidden camera behind iPhone Duo screen
2:51 iPhone Duo size
3:11 iPhone Duo cases
3:28 MagSafe on iPhone Duo
3:34 iPhone 18 Pro updates
4:07 Aperture on iPhone 18 Pro
4:42 Apple Watch changes
4:43 Apple Watch audio intelligence, recording, transcribing
5:20 New Apple Watch sensor
5:33 New Apple iPhone and Apple Watch accessories
5:47 One More Tip to help cover the cost of your new iPhone
5:56 Get the most money for your iPhone trade-in
6:18 Let us know in the comments what you want to see from One More Thing

Video Credits:
Host: Bridget Carey
Scripted by: Bridget Carey
Producer: Carly Marsh
Camera: Celso Bulgatti, Bridget Carey
Video Editor: Carly Marsh
Thumbnail Designer: Tharon Green

Add CNET as a trusted news source
Never miss a deal again! See CNET’s browser extension 👉
Check out CNET’s Amazon Storefront:
Subscribe to CNET on YouTube:
Follow us on TikTok:
Follow us on Instagram:
Follow us on Bluesky:
Like us on Facebook:
CNET’s AI Atlas:
Follow us on X:
Visit CNET.com:

#iphone #apple #foldableiphone #iphoneduo

Continue Reading

CNET

Unboxing the $149 AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case

Apple announced the new AirPods 5 base model will remain at $129, but the step-up $149 model with a wireless charging case and Find My speaker might be more your style. Both will have active noise cancellation (ANC), which is an upgrade from the AirPods 4. Let’s unbox them with CNET executive editor David Carnoy.…

Published

on

Apple announced the new AirPods 5 base model will remain at $129, but the step-up $149 model with a wireless charging case and Find My speaker might be more your style. Both will have active noise cancellation (ANC), which is an upgrade from the AirPods 4. Let’s unbox them with CNET executive editor David Carnoy. #apple #appleevent #airpods #unboxing #airpods5

Add CNET as a trusted news source
Never miss a deal again! See CNET’s browser extension 👉
Check out CNET’s Amazon Storefront:
Subscribe to CNET on YouTube:
Follow us on TikTok:
Follow us on Instagram:
Follow us on Bluesky:
Like us on Facebook:
CNET’s AI Atlas:
Follow us on X:
Visit CNET.com:

Continue Reading

Trending