Nothing, the start-up which launched the ear (1) wireless earbuds this summer, has confirmed its collaboration with tech giant Qualcomm for the future line-up of products. There is also confirmation of $50 million in fresh funding for Nothing. The company confirmed plans for launches in new product categories over the next few months and the Qualcomm partnership. The partnership will allow Nothing access to the Snapdragon platform that could prove to be a trump card for the next product categories the company wants to enter.
“The successful launch of our first product, ear (1), proved that there is room for a new challenger brand to emerge and disrupt today’s sea of sameness,” says Carl Pei, CEO and Co-founder of Nothing.
Nothing’s earbuds have been well received. In two months, the London-based consumer tech company says, it has shipped over 100,000 units. In India, the product is priced at ₹5,999 which is significantly more affordable than the global pricing of £99, $99, and €99. The ear (1) remains available exclusively on Flipkart in India. It has a significant price advantage over similar noise cancelling wireless earbuds such as the OnePlus Buds Pro (around ₹9,990). The recently launched Google Pixel Buds A-series (around ₹9,999) are also more expensive, and don’t have active noise cancellation.
Qualcomm has an extensive lineup of Snapdragon platform products across smartphone processors, audio, artificial intelligence, wearables, and smart homes. These include the Snapdragon Wear platform, Vision Intelligence platform, Snapdragon Sound, Smart Display 200 Platform, and the Snapdragon smartphone products, with the Snapdragon 888 5G mobile platform as the flagship product at this time.
“By combining the power and efficiency of Snapdragon mobile platforms with 5G connectivity across many different categories of devices, we are fostering the development of innovative products that are intended to benefit consumers and deliver richer, more immersive experiences,” says Enrico Salvatori, senior vice-president and president, Qualcomm Europe/MEA, Qualcomm Europe, Inc, in a statement.
The fresh funding of $50 million as part of its Series A extension comes when the company will be lining up launches over the next few months. Nothing has shared a full list of investors. Axel Christofer Hedfors and Sebastian Ingrosso, who are members of the music group Swedish House Mafia, are confirmed to have invested in Nothing. “We look forward to working alongside Qualcomm Technologies and our strategic investors to achieve Nothing’s next phase of growth,” adds Pei.
In January, Nothing raised $15 million in Series A funding, which followed the $7 million in seed funding in November 2020. Nothing’s investors include Google Ventures, Kevin Lin, the co-founder of Twitch, Steve Huffman who is co-founder and CEO of Reddit, and Kunal Shah, founder of Indian fintech start-up CRED.
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