Skypod CEO, Richard Jardine, Talks Digital Time Capsules and the Future
Until CEO Richard Jardine founded digital time capsule company, Skypod, sharing messages
and memories with loved ones into the future was stuck in the past.
Thanks to Skypod’s patent-pending technology, however, anyone around the world can create
and share memories, messages, and words of wisdom with loved ones all around the world,
months or even years into the future.
Skypod CEO, Richard Jardine, sat down with me to share more about how digital time capsules
work, what the future has in store for Skypod, and how Skypod and several donors created
opportunities for first responders, healthcare workers, coronavirus patients, and cancer patients to
create and send Skypod digital time capsules for free.
Talk with me about how Skypod’s digital time capsules work? How is the digital
information displayed for the recipients?
Skypod is delivered with a short message and custom cover image chosen by the creator that acts
like a card and wrapping paper for a digital gift box. Until the open date, the recipient can only
see the custom cover image for the message, which is set by the creator.
Once the open date is reached, the recipient views the contents of the pod in the same order they
were added by the creator. That gives the creator full creative control of both the contents and the
experience the recipient will have when they open the pod.
When the recipient opens the pod, they are presented with a personal message written by the
creator. Then, the recipient clicks through the files like flipping through a virtual scrapbook with
a simple click of the mouse, navigating forward one page at a time in the order they were added
by the creator. Once the recipient reaches the end of their Skypod, they have an option to
download the contents of the pod. All recipients can access and download Skypods created for
them completely free.
Are you able to add creative elements like stickers, audio,
slideshows, etc.?
Yes and creators can even create unique content directly on the Skypod platform. We love
hearing stories about all the ways our users create content for their pods.
Some use sites that specialize in digital book creation, slideshow creation, or movies and then
upload those into their pods. We love that. There are many incredible sites that specialize in
helping people create digital content but they can also use our platform to create unique content.
One thing that makes our software unique is how flexible we are with being able to work with
any type of file no matter where a user creates it. That’s why we often suggest people utilize sites
that specialize in creating a piece of content rather than forcing people to use our native content
creation platform.
Regardless of where you create your content, Skypod safeguards and encrypts all content you
add to your time capsule, delivers it to the people you love, and makes it viewable to them on the
day and time you choose, up to five years in the future.
What is the purpose of sending digital time capsules from Skypod? How is it beneficial to others?
Our users send Skypods for many reasons. Grandparents record messages to their grandkids
years into the future. Military members record birthday and anniversary messages to be delivered
when they’re overseas. Patients with terminal illnesses record special messages for family
members months and even years into the future. The list goes on.
Have you ever lost someone you loved and wished you could hear from them again?
That’s what Skypod does. We give people the ability to hear from their loved ones no matter what the future
holds. We all know that tomorrow isn’t guaranteed. However, with Skypod, we can guarantee your
photos, videos, voice, encouraging messages, advice, and wisdom, can all be there for the people
you love no matter what happens in life. Essentially, Skypod does for messages and memories what estate planning does with material
possessions. This is extremely beneficial to the people who receive Skypods.
Imagine how you would feel knowing you have a birthday message to open every year for the next five years from a loved one you’ve lost.
What happens if the sender passes away before the Skypod is gifted to the recipient? Will it still be delivered?
Great question. When a Skypod is created we secure and encrypt the contents and deliver the
pods to the recipients immediately. But we don’t let them access the contents until the day and
time chosen by the sender. By immediately delivering locked pods to recipients, senders have peace of mind knowing their
pod was delivered and the recipients have it in their possession. It also creates a tremendous
amount of excitement and anticipation for recipients as they await the day and time they can
access the contents of the pod. It’s like having a birthday gift in your possession that you can’t
open until months or even years into the future. There’s no peeking either. The pod is completely
locked until the day and time chosen by the sender.
I know that the pods are able to be sent to multiple recipients, but do you have the option to create a pod by multiple senders who may want to send a collaborative
piece?
Yes, people can create a collaborative piece by recording a group video or Zoom call, creating a
collaborative slideshow, or all contributing files for a pod.
We have built our platform for maximum flexibility so you can upload any files you create to a
pod. We designed our software to work well with other platforms rather than against them. You
can create videos, audio files, or other documents using whichever platform you prefer and then
use Skypod to encrypt, protect, and deliver your beautiful creations to up to 100 people
whenever you choose.
Why is the deliverable date for a Skypod limited to five
years? Do you think you will extend that time so that
individuals can send messages to their loved ones further
into the future?
Absolutely. We are updating the technology to be able to increase the timeframe to up to ten
years in the near future.
What future changes, if any, do you see for Skypod?
In addition to expanding the timeframe for podcast, we are also working on helping
organizations use Skypod for custom use cases. For example, many schools want to create digital
time capsules with and for students. We love working with organizations to create custom
solutions for their needs.
What was the founders’ inspiration and purpose of Skypod?
My biological father died when I was less than two years old. To this day, I’ve never seen a
single photograph of him and it has always been on my mind. Every time I traveled for work, I’d
look out of the plane and think about my own mortality. I always wondered about what my kids
would know about me if I passed away early.
Too many people are leaving this earth too soon and, sadly, many are leaving behind small
children like my father did. My co-founders, Jason Swing, Majd Elias, Jason Nauman, and I, all
initially wanted to help parents leave a legacy for their kids if they were to pass away
unexpectedly. And we wanted to help children hear and see their parents if they passed away
when they were young, like my father did. Thankfully with Skypod, they can. Since then, we’ve
been pleasantly surprised by all the other ways people use Skypod. We continue to innovate to help more and more people send messages that matter to the people in their lives who matter most.
To keep up with the latest on what we’re doing, you can stay connected with Skypod on
Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Be on the lookout for special giveaways
by Skypod, too.
Our leadership team frequently gives away free Skypod credits to those in need.
For example, Skypod is giving away $3 Million in free Skypod credits to first responders,
healthcare workers, coronavirus patients, and people recently diagnosed with cancer, to ensure
nobody in the world needs to risk having their memories lost.
First responders, healthcare workers, and coronavirus patients should visit
www.skypod.com/together to receive $100 in free Skypod credits. Also, patients who have been
recently diagnosed with cancer should visit www.skypod.com/cancer to receive $100 in free
Skypod credits, too. No credit card is required. No strings attached.
