Who We Are, and What We Do
Greetings, and welcome to GroupGets!
Since our inception in 2013, we have striven to uncover the latest, most innovative technology tailored for researchers, conservationists, and electronics enthusiasts including sought-after items like FLIR thermal camera cores, acoustic loggers from Open Acoustic Devices, and Hamamatsu optoelectronics.
Whether you’re looking for components to enhance your upcoming DIY project, stocking up for research, interested in participating in or initiating crowdfunding campaigns, or on the lookout for state-of-the-art thermal imaging cameras, rest assured, we are here for you.
Over a Decade at the Forefront
Back in 2013, while pursuing a passion project, we were looking to purchase specialized processors only to discover that they were exclusively sold in quantities of 1000 and were quite expensive. To our surprise, there was no platform in place to cater to bulk purchases like this, and conventional crowdfunding methods lacked resources for individuals looking to set up group purchases of existing products.
We decided to fill this gap with yet another side project. We created GroupGets with a purpose; to assist researchers, conservationists, makers, and tech enthusiasts by providing them with a platform that focuses on giving everyone access to innovative, cutting-edge technology, including the ICE-V Wireless, Butterstick, OrangeCrab, and the expansive PureThermal family.
-The GroupGets Team
The GroupGets Team
Ron Justin
Cofounder & CEO
Ron is a US inventor with a 20 year engineering career that has seen numerous prototypes ignite on boot, products that went to market, and a few ventures that successfully exited (and failed miserably). A father and avid mountain biker, you can find Ron shredding in the Sierras on any given weekend.
Kurt Kiefer
Cofounder & CTO
A computer engineer whose passions run the gamut of large scale distributed systems to 8-bit microcontrollers, Kurt has led many hardware and software projects, both in and out of his day job. When he’s not trying out a new web framework, he’s probably in the garage making it work on his automated homebrewing setup.
Sashi Ono
Chief Science Officer
Sashi is a father, embedded systems guru, multi-award-winning competitive robot designer, DIY drone builder, Android hacker, advisor to many start-ups, and the founder of Pure Engineering LLC. We think that he may have made some contributions to alien technology discoveries too.
Matthew Navarro
VP of Operations
Matthew is an avid dirt biker, maker, and computer enthusiast with over a decade of experience in design, front end development, 3D modeling, and photography.
Mia Cho
Head of Office
Mia is our resident Korean-born Kiwi with a diverse background spanning commercial production for automotive companies, art directing various TV shows, and founding a healthy meal kit delivery service throughout Los Angeles.
Griffin Covert
Hardware Engineering Lead
Griffin graduated with a bachelor's in ECE Physics and a minor in Electrical Engineering from the University of Nevada, Reno. Having grown up in Mammoth Lakes California, he has a passion for skiing and the outdoors. Griffin is also an avid maker and 3D printing enthusiast.
Outhone Bounkhoun
Director of Product
Outhone has a degree in Computer Engineering from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Go Gauchos! He's a Jack of All Trades with experience in various coding languages from web to mobile apps, devops, UI/UX, product marketing, quality assurance, customer service, and product scalability. Outside of work you can find him playing some sort of sport or off the grid enjoying nature.
Karly Lively
Operations Associate & Creative Writer
Karly graduated with a bachelor’s in creative writing from Western Washington U. She is halfway through her Graduate Gemologist degree with the GIA and is training to be a bench jeweler. When not in her home workshop melting things, you can find her sewing, embroidering, playing video games, reading, or working out. Her overarching goal is to finish her first book, then another, and another, and another… well, you get the picture.
Our GroupGets Team
Ron Justin
Cofounder & CEO
Ron is a US inventor with a 20 year engineering career that has seen numerous prototypes ignite on boot, products that went to market, and a few ventures that successfully exited (and failed miserably). A father and avid mountain biker, you can find Ron shredding in the Sierras on any given weekend.
Kurt Kiefer
Cofounder & CTO
A computer engineer whose passions run the gamut of large scale distributed systems to 8-bit microcontrollers, Kurt has led many hardware and software projects, both in and out of his day job. When he’s not trying out a new web framework, he’s probably in the garage making it work on his automated homebrewing setup.
Sashi Ono
Chief Science Officer
Sashi is a father, embedded systems guru, multi-award-winning competitive robot designer, DIY drone builder, Android hacker, advisor to many start-ups, and the founder of Pure Engineering LLC. We think that he may have made some contributions to alien technology discoveries too.
Matthew Navarro
VP of Operations
Matthew is an avid dirt biker, maker, and computer enthusiast with over a decade of experience in design, front end development, 3D modeling, and photography.
Mia Cho
Head of Office
Mia is our resident Korean-born Kiwi with a diverse background spanning commercial production for automotive companies, art directing various TV shows, and founding a healthy meal kit delivery service throughout Los Angeles.
Griffin Covert
Hardware Engineering
Griffin graduated with a bachelor's in ECE Physics and a minor in Electrical Engineering from the University of Nevada, Reno. Having grown up in Mammoth Lakes California, he has a passion for skiing and the outdoors. Griffin is also an avid maker and 3D printing enthusiast.
Crystal Arellano
Sales Manager
Crystal believes in building business relationships, not pushing sales on someone. Crystal has worked for companies like T-Mobile and RE/MAX building teams, encouraging others to push forward with their goals, and achieve them, including herself. In her last position Crystal was the Business Development Manager for an Electronics Manufacturing Company here in Reno, making her the perfect fit for her GroupGets endeavour.