Overview
John Goscha is an American entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of Native Voice, a voice assistant platform that enables multi-voice connectivity on audio devices.[2] The company's software is deployed on over 1 million devices and raised $14 million in seed funding in 2021.[2][5]
Goscha has founded five companies across technology and consumer products, beginning with a custom golf club business at age 16.[5] His ventures include IdeaPaint, which created dry-erase paint for transforming surfaces into whiteboards, and Finally Light Bulb Company, an energy-efficient lighting manufacturer that raised $93 million in total funding.[3][7]
He was named to Inc.'s 30 Under 30 list in 2009 and Forbes' 30 Under 30 Technology list in 2011.[3] Goscha graduated from Babson College in 2006 with a degree in Economics and Entrepreneurship.[8]
Early life and education
Goscha was born in 1984 in Littleton, Colorado, into a family with entrepreneurial roots.[5] His father and grandfather were both entrepreneurs, though the family experienced financial hardship during his childhood, including losing their house.[5]
At age 16, Goscha started his first business, Goscha Golf, assembling custom golf clubs in his garage using lightweight aluminum and silicon fibers.[5][11] The company reached six figures in sales before he graduated from Regis Jesuit High School in Aurora, Colorado in 2002.[5]
Goscha enrolled at Babson College, where he lived in eTower, the school's entrepreneurship residence hall.[8] As a freshman, he would hang large pieces of paper on his dorm walls for brainstorming business ideas with classmates.[3] The tedium of hanging paper led him to think, "Wouldn't it be great if we could just paint the walls and write right on them?"[3]
Career
IdeaPaint (2002–2012)
Goscha founded IdeaPaint in fall 2002 during his freshman year at Babson College, developing the concept during a community brainstorming session in eTower.[8] The company created dry-erase paint that transforms any surface into a whiteboard.[3]
After graduation in 2006, co-founders Jeff Avallon and Morgan Newman joined the company, and IdeaPaint officially launched its product line in June 2008.[3] The product won two "Best of NeoCon" awards in the Innovation and Wallcoverings categories at the 2008 NeoCon Trade Show.[3]
Finally Light Bulb Company (2012–2018)
In 2012, Goscha founded Finally Light Bulb Company, developing energy-efficient lighting that replicated incandescent bulb attributes while using 75% less energy.[7] The company sold more than 100,000 bulbs in 2016 and expanded from 23 to over 1,400 retail outlets, including Staples and Ace Hardware.[7]
Finally Light Bulb Company raised $93 million in total funding by March 2018.[7] Goscha founded Lucidity Lights in August 2018, where he serves as Chairman of the Board.[11]
Native Voice (2020–present)
Goscha founded Native Voice in March 2020, inspired by observing his mother use Siri for simple tasks and recognizing voice as the default interface for many users.[5] The company develops voice assistant technology that enables users to access multiple assistants—including Alexa, Siri, and branded assistants like "Hey Spotify" and "Hey Uber"—on the same device.[10]
In July 2021, Native Voice raised $14 million in seed funding led by Gutbrain Ventures, PBJ Capital, and Signal Peak Ventures.[2] Additional investors included Revel Partners, Ideaship (Panasonic's venture capital arm), and TechNexus Venture Collaborative with Shure.[10]
The company's software is deployed on over 1 million audio devices in the market.[5] In July 2022, Skullcandy partnered with Native Voice to make multiple voice assistants available on its Push Active and Grind Series headphones.[1]
Recognition and public engagement
Goscha was named to Inc.'s 30 Under 30 list in 2009 for his work with IdeaPaint.[3] He was also named one of America's Best Young Entrepreneurs by Businessweek in 2009 and appeared on Forbes' 30 Under 30 Technology list in 2011.[3]
He serves as a contributing author at VentureBeat, writing about voice technology and artificial intelligence.[4] Goscha has appeared on podcasts including Startup Savant and Voicebot, discussing entrepreneurship and voice assistant technology.[5][6]
Public statements
Be prepared for the sacrifice. Starting these companies takes everything you've got and then some. Every company has that chasm where you're either going to die or make it across.
On entrepreneurship — Startup Savant, 2022[5]
They try to do it all. And so by going a mile wide, they can only go an inch deep. We've all had a lackluster experience.
On voice assistants — Voicebot, 2022[6]
References
- Skullcandy is partnering with Amazon to offer dual smart assistants — TechCrunch, July 2022
- Native Voice nabs $14M to convert devices into branded voice assistants — VentureBeat, July 2021
- Inc. 30 Under 30 Profile - IdeaPaint — Inc. Magazine, January 2009
- John Goscha, Native Voice DataDecisionMakers Author — VentureBeat, January 2023
- Business Podcast - Interview with Native Voice — Startup Savant, January 2022
- John Goscha CEO of Native Voice on Simultaneous Access to Multiple Voice Assistants — Voicebot.ai, August 2022
- Investors light up Finally Bulb Company — Boston Globe, January 2017
- eTower: A Venture in Itself — Babson College, January 2020
- Native Voice CEO John Goscha on the Evolution of AI Voice Assistants — YouTube, January 2023
- Native Voice Secures $14 Million Seed Funding Round And Expands Leadership Team — PR Newswire, July 2021
- John Goscha - Founder and CEO at Native Voice | The Org — The Org, January 2023
- About Us - IdeaPaint — IdeaPaint, January 2023