Co-founder of “decentralized communication” startup gOTenna, Daniela Perdomo sees a future in challenging cell tower dependence

by evan monroe

Co-founder and CEO of goTenna, a hardware startup that builds tools for “decentralized communication,” Daniela Perdomo, after growing up in São Paulo, Brazil, made her home here in the borough. The company she founded with her brother, Jorge Perdomo, has the lofty goal of unplugging existing cell phone users from dependence upon Wi-Fi, satellites, and cell towers.

“[The goTenna, seen here] is a device that pairs wirelessly with the phone you already have,” Daniela explained at FirstMark Capital’s Hardwired NYC event. “And allows you to communicate with anyone else…without any service. It’s a decentralized, ad hoc communication system. The idea came to us after Hurricane Sandy, when a lot of towers were down. Our bet is that this form of communication simply makes a lot of sense.”

Before becoming a hardware entrepreneur, Perdomo had stints developing software apps as well as adventures in political journalism and literary magazines. Her company’s second product, goTenna Mesh, announced this past fall, enables users to expand the reach of networks through a first-of-its-kind mesh technology.

It effectively enables users to relay messages through each other, extending range while creating a network that gets stronger as more people join. Fall also saw the launch of goTenna Plus, a premium, subscription-based upgrade to the company’s iOS and Android applications, which integrates its off-grid technology with a network relay feature. The products have a variety of applications in institutional markets as well, including search and rescue teams, military personnel, other state and federal government agencies, and disaster relief non-profits.

goTenna
102 S 6th Street / gotenna.com