Skypod CEO, Richard Jardine, on How Digital Time Capsules are Replacing File Sharing and More

When the coronavirus pandemic hit, the CEO and cofounder of Skypod knew his company could play a big role in helping ease some of the pain and uncertainty. Unlike many companies, Skypod is a one-company industry, the “digital time capsule” industry.

Created out of a burning desire to help people share messages, memories, and words of wisdom with loved ones, Skypod’s patent-pending technology allows anyone with an internet connection to create and send digital time capsules, months or even years into the future.

Jardine agreed to join me to talk about digital time capsules, how the pandemic has impacted Skypod, how Skypod and a deep bench of investors and others donated millions of dollars in free Skypod credits to those in need, and more.

1. Thank you for joining me, Richard. Let’s start by discussing Skypod’s technology and how it differs from other ways people send files to each other such as Dropbox, Google Drive, Email, etc.?

Skybox offers many advantages over Dropbox, Google Drive, and other digital platforms in terms of safeguarding and maintaining control of files.

For example, although Dropbox, Google Drive, and Skypod all store files, only Skypod’s digital time capsule technology allows you to immediately deliver files to someone but delay when they can access the file itself. When sharing files using Dropbox or Google Drive, any files you share are made viewable immediately. Sending files over email works similarly. The recipient can access any attached files immediately. There’s no way to send an age-appropriate message to be delivered in the future or to share words of wisdom or life lessons you don’t want the recipient to access right away.

With Skypod, the sender chooses when the recipient can access the message and associated files. Until that date and time, the recipient can only see the time capsule, a cover image chosen by the sender, and a message from the sender about the file, similar to receiving a wrapped gift to open in the future.

Skypod’s software complexly locks the pod until the date and time chosen by the sender, up to five years in the future. This gives senders peace of mind knowing their messages, photos, videos, and other files will be unlocked and made available to the recipients on the date and time they chose when creating the time capsule. Senders get notified that the pod was delivered successfully to the recipients and can rest easy knowing the contents will be locked until the date and time they chose, up to five years in the future.

2. How has the pandemic helped Skypod grow and get the word about the platform out?

Uncertain times like these have more people than ever thinking about how life can change from one day to the next. This pandemic has been no different, causing a bit of an awakening to the importance of legacy and planning ahead.

Similar to how the number of people seeking wills and other estate planning services has surged during this pandemic, so too has interest in creating Skypods. People have realized that Skypod does for memories, messages, and life advice what estate planning does for material possessions. This helped Skypod grow its user base exponentially during the pandemic.

We are incredibly proud and grateful to be able to help so many people preserve, protect, and deliver messages that matter to the people who matter most to them.

The pandemic also enabled Skypod to give back even more than before with the help of investors and generous donors. When the pandemic began, the uncertainty and suffering that we witnessed motivated our leadership team to donate $1 Million in Skypod credits to help first responders, healthcare workers, and coronavirus patients. Soon after we did, the campaign became so popular that we needed to increase the amount. Thanks to a great network of donors, we were able to triple the donation to $3 Million in free credits.

Both campaigns are still active. Any first responders, healthcare workers, or coronavirus patients can visit www.skypod.com/together to receive $100 in free Skypod credits while the campaign is open.

3. So who are the geniuses behind Skypod?

Skypod was originally created and founded by me, years ago. As the idea grew, three friends and business colleagues of mine, Jason Swing, Majd Elias, and Jason Nauman joined me to help make Skypod a reality. We have been friends for many years, and they added great value and much-needed expertise to bring Skypod to life.

But our founders are only part of Skypod’s story. Without the tireless and dedicated support of our team, Skypod would not be able to help as many people as it has. Led by our outreach director, Edda Candelas, director of strategic partnerships, Andres Arellano, digital communications director, Cara Federici, creative professional, Charlie Jackman, and press manager, Yvette Morales, our entire organization maintains a tireless focus on helping many people preserve, secure, and deliver memories all around the world and well into the future.

We are also backed by many silent donors who believe in our mission and want to help us achieve our lofty goal of ensuring that everyone around the world can send Skypods to their loved ones.

4. This year, you helped first responders stay in contact with their loved ones by donating $3 Million in credits. Do you do philanthropical acts like this often? If so, what other organizations have you helped?

Yes. In addition to that donation campaign, we also recently launched a similar $1 Million campaign to help people diagnosed with cancer create free pods for their loved ones. Patients who have been diagnosed with cancer can visit www.skypod.com/cancer to receive $100 in free Skypod credits as part of Skypod’s cancer campaign. In addition, we are working on partnerships with celebrities and other donors to deliver free Skypod credits to other locations and to support other causes around the world.

Skypod’s focus has always been to help people share messages and memories irrespective of their ability to pay. While Skypods start at just $1.99, we have committed to providing free credits to any family that can’t afford to pay, anywhere in the world, regardless of race, religion, or any other factor.

The cofounders, investors, and a small network of silent donors have also contributed the capital needed to donate free Skypod credits to anyone who could not afford to pay to create and deliver a Skypod. However, we know there is more demand, and we feel the need to give more.

Generously, several organizations and celebrities from outside the United States have reached out to us and are interested in donating Skypod credits to people in their Countries and local communities. Their kindness and generosity will help bring the gift of Skypod to even more families in need.

5. What are your different pricing plans for the platform? 

Skypod pricing is based on two factors: size and storage. Think of them as digital gift boxes. A small box costs $1.99 per month, and a large box costs only $3.99 per month. As you fill your pod, your box will automatically adjust up and down. You only pay for the size of box you need. And you only pay for the time period between when you send your pod and the open date you set, up to five years into future. Once that is finalized, the cost of the pod is calculated and paid for by the sender. The recipient is never charged.

6. What’s in store for the Skypod platform in 2021?

We are currently expanding our platform in many ways and are always listening to users to improve our platform. In 2021, we are extending the length of time the sender can keep a pod locked for from five years to ten years. We are also creating custom specific-use cases for our software. For example, we are currently working with many schools to help students set annual goals at the beginning of the year by sending themselves Skypods they will access at the end of the year.

With students making so much progress from the beginning to the end of the year, school administrators were looking for a way for students to truly see and feel the progress they made throughout the year. Creating a Skypod at the beginning of the year that they can open at the end of the year will allow them to see all the progress they made during the school year like never before.

To keep up with the latest on what we’re doing, you can stay connected with Skypod on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter, and at www.skypod.com. Skypod is available worldwide on any smartphone, tablet, or computer with an internet connection.