This startup died in 2017, but its dream of in-ear computing is everywhere

Few elements of Silicon Valley’s culture are more cherished than its embrace of failure. Nobody looks askance at you for starting a company that doesn’t make it. Indeed, it’s widely regarded as a badge of honor, proving your willingness to make bold, risky bets and leaving you a smarter, more battle-tested veteran. And yet failed startups tend to be forgotten the moment their doom is sealed. Aside from a few flops so epic they become legends—hello, Webvan and Humane—defunct businesses quickly stop ringing a bell. Everyone involved moves on to chasing the next big thing. That has been true of many intriguing upstarts I’ve profiled over the years. The one that set out to be the Uber of shipping. The one that partnered with Steph Curry to build a tiny, minimally distracting smartphone. The one that aspired to build an AI-powered computer for the ears well before AI became the industry’s obsession. Unlike AirPods, Here One came in your choice of white or black. [Photo: Doppler Labs] But wait. Though that last startup, Doppler Labs, ceased to be back in 2017, its vision didn’t die along with it. Doppler’s flagship product was Here One, a pair of wireless earbuds designed to do far more…

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