About Peek

Company Roots

Peek was born on a walk in the park when Amol Sarva and his wife, Ursula, were expecting their first child. At six months pregnant, Ursula couldn't sit still and found comfort in taking long walks. But planning for a new arrival and a busy life besides, Amol saw that Ursula would return feeling behind. Emails were piling up. She had inbox anxiety.

A seasoned wireless industry entrepreneur, Amol had long been using smartphones for mobile email. With smartphone in hand, their long walks were actually a great way for him to stay on top of things at the office. Amol tried to get Ursula to use one, describing the many features: email, texting, voice calling, Internet, etc. But the bells and whistles are exactly what turned her off. She didn't want a complicated smartphone with extras she didn't need.

What she really wanted was a simple, nifty device that would let her do email on the go since email was how everyone she knew made plans, caught up, and shared news.

Amol thought a simple, fun, and attractive mobile email device had to exist. He asked his contacts at the cell phone companies, but they were dismissive. Nobody wants "simple," they want "more," they said. But Amol saw an opportunity, which he discussed with a few colleagues from earlier ventures. They explored the idea in the "real world", closely observing real people using email at their desks and on the go.

Amol's hunch was right; people really want a device that simply does email.

After gathering lots of feedback, the vision crystallized: a great-looking device whose function is as elegant as its form. It would be extraordinarily simple to set up, get people emailing within minutes, and work anywhere by connecting to cell phone towers behind the scenes. But there would be no contracts, cumbersome paper bills or other cell phone-style "gotchas" involved. No, this would be something different. This would be a look at something new.

Ursula loved what she saw—this was something she would buy—and encouraged Amol to make it a reality.

So Amol and his colleagues, determined to solve a real need, created a company to design a new mobile email device for everyday people. And called it Peek.