FireChat is an app created by OpenGarden in 2011 that allows users to communicate via Bluetooth and WiFi without an internet or cellular connection. It gained popularity during protests in Hong Kong in 2014 where over 2 million chat sessions occurred, creating the largest mesh network. FireChat has since been used in over 500,000 installs in Iraq when social media was blocked, and for live news gathering around the world. OpenGarden has raised $2 million in 2012 and $10.8 million in 2014, and now has 5 million monthly active users and employees 11-50 people with a freemium business model providing extra features for business users.

1. YUFAN SUN
(YUFANSUN)
You are the Internet

2. Products
FireChat FireChat Alerts MeshKit

3. FireChat
• Communicate without network
• Anonymous

4. “FireChat is sneakily subversive
and quite possibly the most
important thing to happen to the
Internet since 1995.”
TIME Magazine April 2014

5. History
co-founded in 2011
Bluetooth
Wi-Fi
March 2014
FireChat
iOS + Android
2012
OpenGarden

6. Sept. 28th - Oct. 1st
Protests in Hong Kong
2+ million chat sessions
Largest mesh of its kind
June 2014
Iraq
40,000 downloads
in one weekend.
Government blocks access to
major social media networks.
500,000+ installs
March 2015
Storyful launches first live
open newsroom on
FireChat
FireChat used for live
news gathering
around the world.

7. September 2016
MeshKit
June 2016
FireChat Alerts

8. Financial Info
•Funding:
• $2 million, Sep 2012
• $10.8 million Dec 2014
•Revenue: $7 million
•Over 5 million monthly active users
•Number of employees: 11-50

9. Business model
• Freemium business model
•Extra features like VPN access for business users
•Help companies build similar functions

10. Secret Source

11. Competition
iOS Android Private
message
Group
chat
FireChat ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
The Serval
Mash
✓ ✓
ZombieChat ✓ ✓

12. Prediction
• Difficult to beat Messenger/WhatsApp…
• But …
•People without network access
•Protests
•Fragile communications infrastructure

13. Thank you!
Reference:
"Connecting the next Billion Mobile Devices." Open Garden.
N.p., n.d.Web. 02 Oct. 2016.
Garden, Open. "Open Garden Launches Disaster-Proof
"FireChat Alerts""Open Garden Launches Disaster-Proof
’FireChat Alerts’. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Oct. 2016.
Lardinois, Frederic. "FireChat Brings Private Group Chat to Its
Off-grid Messaging service." TechCrunch. N.p., 08 Aug. 2016.
Web. 01 Oct. 2016.
Lardinois, Frederic. "Open Garden Raises $10.8M Series A
Round To Double Down On Its Off-Grid FireChat."TechCrunch.
N.p., 18 Dec. 2014. Web. 01 Oct. 2016.
"Open Garden."Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d.Web.
30 Sept. 2016.
Questions?