New chief executive solidifies mesh networking company’s focus on government market
 
June 24, 2021 (JERSEY CITY, NJ) — goTenna, the company behind the world’s most advanced, infrastructure-free, and scalable mobile mesh networks announced today that Ari Schuler has been appointed new CEO of the company. Schuler will succeed co-founder Daniela Perlein, who will now be chair of the company’s board of directors.

goTenna was founded in 2012, selling 150,000 consumer devices before executing a market pivot in 2018 to focus on the business-to-government (B2G) market. In the three years since, the company has sold into nearly 250 institutional customers across government agencies and enterprise organizations. 

“As we’ve morphed into a B2G business, I realized goTenna deserves an expert leader in this market so we can fully capture the massive opportunity we’ve created,” Perlein said. “Ari has the experience, network, and track record required to accelerate the adoption of our products in the government sector.”

The goTenna Pro suite enables operators to securely communicate wirelessly, even in areas without cellular network, internet connectivity, and/or without satellite coverage, via a low SWaP-C (size, weight, power, and cost) radio (goTenna Pro X) paired to a smart end-user device, typically a smartphone. The goTenna system forms a robust mobile ad hoc network (MANET) which enables resilient, long-range connectivity in typically communications-denied environments and is most commonly used with the Team Awareness Kit (TAK) to support situational awareness.

“My entire career has been focused on delivering technology that enables front line operators to carry out their missions safely and effectively,” Schuler said. “I am excited for the opportunity to lead goTenna and build on our heritage of using mobile mesh networks to enable safe missions throughout the world.”

Over the past 24 months, goTenna has sold products to public safety, defense, and law enforcement agencies, such as California Fire, USSOCOM, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Government of Australia. 

“Daniela is a founder and leader of rare talent,” said board member and investor Trae Stephens, a partner at Founders Fund, “and bringing on Ari as a partner in running goTenna was one of her strongest decisions. goTenna is in incredible hands.”

Schuler has spent a decade in the private sector working in startup and technology companies as well as nearly a decade in federal service at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, where he created and led the CBP Innovation Team (CBP INVNT). Over a two-year period, CBP INVNT fully transitioned five technologies into full operations, piloted another 11 capabilities, and invested in 20 more, leading to safer and more effective agency operations.

About goTenna
goTenna was founded in 2012. The company shipped two generations of consumer mesh-networking devices in 2015 and 2017, before releasing its tactical-grade goTenna Pro product line in 2018. The goTenna team is led by seasoned individuals with broad innovation experience at companies like BBN Raytheon, Qualcomm, and Cisco and is backed by venture capital investors such as Founders Fund and Union Square Ventures. In addition, goTenna has received NRE funding from Google and the U.S. Department of Defense.