One Year of BraX3: The Most Crowdfunded Privacy Smartphone on Indiegogo
BraX3 became the most crowdfunded smartphone on Indiegogo last year. And twelve months on, we're still a little in awe of it.
When we started, we had a rough idea of what to expect from pre-orders, based on how BraX2 had sold. The BraX3 response blew right past it.
Turns out a lot more people are willing to buy a privacy-focused product, as long as it's well designed and fairly priced.
How BraX3 became the most crowdfunded smartphone
We didn't spend a dollar on ads (take that, Google!). It was thanks to our strong community sharing the project, posting about it in forums, telling their friends. That organic spread is what made this happen, and it's the part we're most proud of (and honestly still trying to wrap our heads around).
The campaign took off faster than we expected. One day we're a small team hoping to hit our goal; the next, there are discussions about BraX3 popping up across Reddit, X, and privacy communities. It just kept building.
BraX3 in numbers
- $2.5M+ raised in crowdfunding
- 5,900+ backers pre-ordered BraX3
- Backers from 90+ countries
- 8,000+ devices delivered
- Under 1.5% return rate (industry leading)
But the number we're most proud of is the average BraX3 purchase price: $339. That's over 20% lower than its predecessor, the BraX2 ($429), and about 55% lower than the average price of a privacy-focused smartphone (~$750).
A lower sale price meant lower profit margins for us, but it also meant something more important: privacy is now accessible to more people.
What happened next
The crowdfunding success, combined with the feedback from early adopters, gave us the confidence to double down. Earlier this year, we iterated on the BraX3 with a new revision, which is now in stock in our store and shipping in over 90 countries.
That under-1.5% return rate tells us we're on the right track and our community are enjoying the product.
Thank you
When we started Brax Technologies, the goal was simple: prove you can build tech that's private, fairly priced, and doesn't compromise on quality. BraX3 becoming the most crowdfunded smartphone on the platform, and everything that's followed in the year since, is a proof that privacy-focused devices are much needed at this time of mass privacy intrusion.
The next chapter is going to be even bigger, and we can't wait to share it with you soon.
— The Brax Technologies Team