Proton

Proton Mail raises a record $500,000 through crowdfunding to disrupt the state of email communications

July 30th, 2014

Geneva, Switzerland

Proton Mail’s crowdfunding campaign has surged past $500,000 with the support of over 10,000 backers, setting a new record for a software project in the technology category on Indiegogo. The success of the campaign is strong evidence that the start-up’s mission of ensuring online privacy resonates strongly with people around the world.

Proton Mail’s innovative email service distinguishes itself from other providers through its ease of use which allows anyone, tech savvy or not, to benefit from email encryption. Demand for the service was so high that two days after the beta launch in May, Proton Mail’s servers overloaded, forcing the developers to seek funding to continue growing the service. In June, the Swiss start-up turned to Indiegogo and launched a month long crowdfunding campaign which sought to raise $100,000 to cover immediate operating expenses.“Proton Mail was created to give people around the world their privacy back. Raising money from the community was a very natural choice given our mission,” says Co-founder Andy Yen.

Within three days of launch, the campaign hit its goal of $100,000 and climbed to $200,000 just two days later. The campaign received an unexpected boost when PayPal froze the start-up’s account, questioning whether or not encrypted email was legal. The ensuing global backlash against PayPal, and the accompanying surge in Bitcoin donations, helped drive the campaign to new heights.

The Proton Mail team, made of former CERN, MIT, and Harvard scientists, hope to reinstate and protect the right to privacy and personal freedom in the digital world. So far, over 200,000 users have signed up for the service which is still in beta. The service already has a number of unique features that protect user data, such as end-to-end encryption that ensures even Proton Mail cannot read the contents of a message.

“Proton Mail lets you know with confidence that what is personal stays personal. It is peace of mind created by detailed research and cutting edge encryption technology,” says Co-founder Jason Stockman.

The company follows a community driven development path, interacting regularly with its user base via social media, blogs, and email, fostering a close relationship between developers and users as it strives to continually improve the service.

“The tools for stealing data are becoming more and more sophisticated, so data protection requires constant innovation to succeed over the long term,” explains Co-founder Andy Yen, “that is why we will be continually improving security over the course of our beta.”

Proton Mail’s Indiegogo campaign page can be found here: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/protonmail(neues Fenster)

About Proton Mail

Proton Mail is a service offered by Proton AG (Switzerland). Proton Mail was founded in summer 2013 by scientists who met at CERN and were drawn together by a shared vision of a more secure and private Internet. Today, our core team also includes scientists from ETH Zurich, Caltech, and Harvard, and we specialize in building the secure and private online communications platforms of the future. Every day, the Proton Mail team, with the assistance of supporters from around the world, works to advance internet security and privacy.

Contact: media@proton.me

Sign up and get a free encrypted email account from Proton Mail.

Verwandte Artikel

Investigative journalist Vegas Tenold explains the gear he uses to protect his privacy and stay safe.
en
  • Neuigkeiten zur Privatsphäre
Follow investigative journalist Vegas Tenold as he explains his gear and how it keeps him safe from surveillance as he works in the field.
Coinbase, the largest Bitcoin exchange in the US, suffered a data breach
en
  • Neuigkeiten zur Privatsphäre
  • Proton Wallet
Coinbase employees sold sensitive personal information to attackers, including government IDs and BTC transaction history. Proton Wallet is built to avoid these risks.
Whistleblower's whistle. Journalists must use secure channels to communicate with whistleblowers.
en
  • Privatsphäre-Richtlinien
Whistleblowers risk everything to expose the truth. This guide helps journalists keep their sources safe using secure tools like Proton Mail, Signal, and SecureDrop.
An image showing a phone screen with a child icon and three icons with '17+' '8-12' and '3-5' to indicate age ratings
en
  • Privatsphäre-Richtlinien
Parents can help their children develop healthy screen habits by learning about dark design patterns — Proton investigates how
en
Read what age experts say you should let your child use different platforms and how you can help set them up for success.
Roblox has been accused for years of exposing kids to inappropriate content and bad actors. We describe its safety features
en
  • Privatsphäre-Richtlinien
Roblox has suffered scandals over inappropriate content. We share what you need to know and what you can do to use it more safely.