About

Blues was founded with a clear mission: to make secure, scalable IoT connectivity simple and accessible for every developer.

The inspiration for Blues traces back to 2011, when Japan’s devastating tsunami led to the Fukushima nuclear disaster. In response, Ray Ozzie joined a global team of scientists and engineers who volunteered to develop a way to monitor and share radiation levels in affected areas. Within weeks, they created portable devices called Radnotes- simple, wireless tools that collected and transmitted radiation data, making it freely available to the public.

Through this experience, Ray realized just how complex it was to build a secure, cellular-connected IoT device from scratch. It required deep technical expertise and a lot of custom work- obstacles that slowed down innovation and limited who could participate in solving real-world problems with IoT.

Determined to change that, Ray began developing what would become the first versions of the Notecard and Notehub- products designed to remove complexity and empower developers of all backgrounds. In 2018, Blues was born to bring this vision to life.

Over the next few years, Blues grew rapidly as more companies recognized the value of this plug-and-play connectivity. By 2021, Blues closed a $22 million Series A round led by Sequoia Capital and Lachy Groom, with participation from XYZ Venture Capital and returning investor Bill Gates, signaling the high demand for developer-friendly IoT solutions.

As time went on, momentum continued to build. In 2023, Blues showcased its innovative approach to IoT at CES in Las Vegas and announced a $32 million Series A1 funding round led by Positive Sum, with new investors including Four Rivers, Northgate, and Qualcomm joining existing backers. This milestone accelerated the expansion of the Notecard family with new modules like the Notecard Cell+WiFi, Notecard WiFi, and Notecard LoRa. By 2024, Blues added Starnote, extending its ecosystem with seamless satellite connectivity.

At the beginning of 2025, Blues announced the successful close of a $25 million funding round led once again by Sequoia Capital. As part of this milestone, Sequoia Managing Partner Roelof Botha joined the Blues board of directors, marking a new chapter in the company’s journey to simplify IoT for innovators everywhere.

In June of 2025, Blues announced that former Evernote Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ian Small has joined the company as CEO. Small, who has more than 30 years of technology-industry experience, brings deep operational expertise and a track record of scaling companies from early-stage through public-market maturity.

Today, Blues continues to push the boundaries of connected device design, making it possible for anyone to build secure, reliable, and cost-effective IoT solutions at scale.