Established in San Francisco a startup named Kanoa ran out of funds and shut down this week, omitting in the lurch scores of customers who spent $150 or more to pre-order high-tech earphones they never got. The organization emailed consumers on Wednesday to reveal the bad news, giving them to a letter posted on the Kanoa’s website.
“This is not the end we had anticipated, and with the swift turn of events, we are emotionally bewildered,” the company’s website stated. “We understand you are frustrated, and can only ask that you realize that we genuinely tried.”
Cival Van Der Lubbe, Kanoa’s founder, and CEO did not directly respond to information seeking comment Friday. An email sent to the company’s central help center was not restored.
Kanoa is just the newest local crowdfunded business to deceive customers. Last season San Francisco-based startup Skully imploded, to the consternation of 3,000 consumers who paid $1,500 each for high-tech bike helmets they never got. In February, Lily Robotics, another San Francisco-based startup, filed for bankruptcy. Unlike Skully and Kanoa, Lily agreed to reimburse the more than 60,000 consumers who paid for but never more received its camera drones.
Kanoa built some buzz when it revealed its wireless, Bluetooth equipped earphones back in 2015 before Apple had announced its wireless Air Pods. In a press release advertising the product, Kanoa assured all sorts of high-tech features. Music sounded through the earphones was thought to change in pace and volume as the user’s heart raced through a workout. Kanoa said users would be able to check how much ambient noise the earphones let in listeners would be able to prevent the outside world, or set the earphones to let them hear approaching traffic while biking or walking.
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