Crowd Supply said several power-supply components had reached end-of-life/end-of-sale status in the prior 6-8 weeks, and Ukama had to source replacements to preserve product longevity.
SourcePublic company, workplace, funding, and market signals
Updated Jul 29, 2026
Ukama is a San Ramon–based, YC S20 startup building an open-source, decentralized "cellular internet in a box" platform that lets entrepreneurs, organizations, and communities deploy and manage their own cellular networks without traditional telco complexity.
Primary product
Cellular Internet in a box / decentralized cellular network hardware + software platform
Founded
2020
Headquarters
4 Crow Canyon Ct #200, San Ramon, California, United States
Team size
1-10 employees
Industry
Technology, Information and Internet
Sub-industry
Open-source cellular networking / private LTE infrastructure
Offices
0 jobs at Ukama
Check back later for new openings
Business model
Stage
Seed
Total raised
$150K
Latest round
Seed · Aug 2020
Latest amount
$150K
Aug 2020 · Y Combinator
Mission-driven, small-team, open-source oriented, and focused on democratizing connectivity and bridging the digital divide.
Compensation
Salary.com estimates average annual compensation at about $103,518, with a typical range of roughly $90,985-$117,122; public signals also mention 401(k) and time off as common benefits, but no public salary bands or visa policy were found.
Benefits
Pricing
Hardware kits plus SIM/eSIM sales, with subscription and usage-based roaming pricing; public product pages also show an entrepreneur package with a monthly subscription after the first month.
Differentiators
Technology
Customers
Competitors
Crowd Supply said several power-supply components had reached end-of-life/end-of-sale status in the prior 6-8 weeks, and Ukama had to source replacements to preserve product longevity.
SourceEnduring Planet described Ukama as an early-stage hardware company whose manufacturing cash flow depended on milestone-based grant receipts, creating a financing gap between supplier payments and grant inflows.
SourceEnduring Planet · Jul 2024
Case study on Ukama’s use of Enduring Planet financing to bridge cash-flow gaps for hardware manufacturing while serving remote communities with solar-powered cellular infrastructure.
Crowd Supply · Nov 2022
Post-campaign update noting the campaign total raised and the need to replace power-supply parts that had reached end-of-life or end-of-sale status.
The Verge · Oct 2022
Profile of Ukama’s Crowd Supply launch and its plan to let people deploy their own cellular network, including roaming concepts and the open-source cellular approach.
USTDA
USTDA said Ukama would carry out a feasibility study and pilot project for rural DRC connectivity using decentralized LTE infrastructure in North and South Kivu.
Crowd Supply
Project page for Ukama’s crowdfunding launch, describing the hardware kits, SIM/eSIM products, roaming model, and community/operator use cases.