Blues
Blues provides device-to-cloud IoT connectivity through pre-certified Notecard wireless modules (cellular, WiFi, satellite, LoRa) and Notehub cloud orchestration, serving 900+ industrial, logistics, and commercial equipment customers across 140+ countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersBeverly, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Blues does
Blues is a Boston-based IoT connectivity company that provides a device-to-cloud system for building smart connected products, targeting industrial, logistics, commercial buildings, and equipment manufacturers globally. The company's core product is the Notecard, a pre-certified embeddable wireless System-on-Module available in cellular (LTE Cat 1, Cat M, NB-IoT), WiFi, LoRa, and satellite (Skylo GEO and Iridium LEO) variants, with bundled data plans and no monthly subscriptions. A unifying JSON API across all radio access technologies—so-called "Wireless Harmonization"—allows developers to switch between cellular, WiFi, satellite, and LoRa without rewriting code.
The architecture pairs Notecard hardware with Notehub, an enterprise-grade cloud orchestration layer that handles secure bi-directional data routing to AWS, Azure, GCP, and Snowflake, plus device/fleet management, OTA firmware updates, and alerting via JSON APIs. Supporting products include the Notecarrier development boards, Swan and Cygnet Feather-compatible MCUs targeting edge ML workloads, Wireless for OPTA for Arduino Opta PLCs, the Airnote air quality monitor, and advisory services (Design Review and Idea to Market programs).
Commercially, Blues operates a dual product-led growth / enterprise field sales motion. Hardware is priced by unit (Notecard Cellular and Cell+WiFi include 10 years of bundled data and 500MB usage; Notecard XP starts at $19 at 5,000-unit MOQ; Notecard for Skylo is $89 with bundled data). Notehub cloud services use a pay-as-you-go model ($0.00075 per Consumption Credit, first 5,000 events free monthly) with an Enterprise subscription tier for 500+ device deployments offering volume discounts starting at 50% off Essentials pricing. The company reports 900+ customers across 140+ countries, with recent product expansion into tri-mode satellite/cellular/WiFi connectivity positioning Blues to address remote-asset use cases that legacy cellular-only vendors cannot.
Blues firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Blues
- Legal name
- Blues Inc.
- Website
- https://blues.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Blues provides device-to-cloud IoT connectivity through pre-certified Notecard wireless modules (cellular, WiFi, satellite, LoRa) and Notehub cloud orchestration, serving 900+ industrial, logistics, and commercial equipment customers across 140+ countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Blues industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Embedded IoT Connectivity Hardware
- NAICS
- Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182), Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite) (517112), Satellite Telecommunications (51741)
- SIC
- Computer Communications Equipment (3576)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Cellular IoT/M2M Gateways & Routers (LTE/5G) (HDAFAIAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Satellite IoT & Machine-to-Machine (M2M) Connectivity (LPWAN over Satellite) (HDAIAJAF), Mobile & Wireless Connectivity SoCs (Modem/Wi‑Fi/Bluetooth/GNSS) (HDAHABAA), Wearables & Consumer IoT Integration Platforms (BYOD) (HLACAFAF)
Keywords
Where Blues is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Beverly
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Blues business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Hardware Sales: Sale of Notecard modules, Starnote satellite modules, Notecarriers, MCUs (Swan, Cygnet), and development kits. Hardware includes embedded data plans with no monthly subscriptions.
- Cloud Services (Notehub): Notehub cloud orchestration layer with Essentials pay-as-you-go model ($0.00075 per consumption credit) and Enterprise subscription agreements with volume-based discounts starting at 50% off Essentials pricing.
- Usage-Based Data: Pay-as-you-go model for satellite data usage (Notecard for Skylo). Hardware includes bundled data (500MB cellular, satellite data packages).
- Advisory Services: Design Review Program (complementary) and Idea to Market Program (paid consulting engagement) for helping customers move from pilot to production.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Notecard Cellular - LTE Cat 1, Cat M, NB-IoT with embedded SIM and 500MB data |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Notecard Cell+WiFi - Cellular + WiFi with automatic failover |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Notecard for Skylo - Cellular + WiFi + Satellite tri-mode connectivity |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Notecard XP - Customizable low-cost cellular module |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Starnote for Skylo - Satellite companion module |
| Usage-based | Monthly | Notehub Essentials - Pay-as-you-go cloud services |
| Subscription | Annual | Notehub Enterprise - Volume subscription for 500+ devices |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Blues product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Blues sells a device-to-cloud IoT connectivity system built on plug-and-play Notecard System-on-Modules (cellular, WiFi, satellite, LoRa) with prepaid bundled data, paired with the Notehub cloud orchestration platform for data routing, fleet management, and OTA updates. The company also sells companion satellite modules (Starnotes), development boards (Notecarriers, Swan/Cygnet MCUs), the Wireless for OPTA PLC add-on, the Airnote air quality monitor, and advisory services (Design Review and Idea to Market) for customers moving from prototype to production at scale.
Product overview
Blues is a device-to-cloud system provider offering plug-and-play IoT wireless connectivity for smart connected products. The portfolio is organized around three core product pillars: (1) Notecard and Starnote embeddable wireless System-on-Modules providing cellular, WiFi, satellite (Skylo GEO/Iridium LEO), and LoRa connectivity with prepaid data and no subscriptions; (2) Notehub cloud orchestration layer for secure data routing to AWS/Azure/GCP/Snowflake, device/fleet management, and OTA firmware updates; and (3) supporting development tools including Notecarrier boards (CX, F, X, XM, XS, Pi, A), Swan/Cygnet Feather-compatible MCUs, and Wireless for OPTA PLC integration. Additional offerings include Airnote air quality monitor, 50+ Nifty Fifty sample applications, and advisory services (Design Review, Idea to Market, POC Workshop). The architecture enables developers to prototype in days and scale to millions of devices with unified JSON APIs across all radio access technologies.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Notecard Plug-and-play embeddable wireless System-on-Module providing cellular, WiFi, satellite, or LoRa connectivity with prepaid data plans and no subscriptions. Controlled via JSON APIs with ultra-low power design (8-15µA idle for cellular models) and integrated secure element for OEMs building connected products.
- Notehub Enterprise-grade cloud orchestration layer providing secure bi-directional data routing from Notecard to any cloud application, device and fleet management, over-the-air firmware updates, alerting, and JSON APIs. Supports AWS, Azure, GCP, Snowflake routing with harmonized multi-RAT architecture for Blues customers.
- Starnote Plug-and-play companion System-on-Module adding satellite connectivity to Notecard-based solutions. Available for Skylo GEO or Iridium LEO networks with automatic failover from cellular/WiFi and no monthly subscriptions required.
- Notecarrier Companion project accelerator boards for prototyping and deploying Notecard-based IoT solutions. Available in multiple form factors (CX, F, X, XM, XS, Pi, A) supporting various MCUs, power options, and integration methods including castellated edges for production designs.
- Airnote Zero-configuration cellular air quality monitoring device powered by Notecard. Monitors PM1, PM2.5, PM10, temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, and optional radiation. Solar-powered with built-in display and Safecast data integration for end users and community monitoring.
- Swan MCU Feather-compatible development board with STM32L4R5 @ 120 MHz, 2MB Flash, 640KB RAM. Supports edge ML workloads with C/C++, Arduino, CircuitPython. Features 55 expandable I/O pins and castellated edges for production integration.
- Cygnet MCU Feather-compatible development board with STM32L433 microcontroller, 256KB flash, 64KB RAM. Supports C/C++ and Arduino. Features Qwiic/StemmaQT connector for sensor integration.
- Wireless for OPTA Turnkey wireless connectivity expansion for Arduino Opta and Finder OPTA micro PLCs. Provides dual cellular and WiFi coverage with automatic failover, power outage detection, and seamless Notehub integration for cloud routing and fleet management.
- Notecard for Skylo Industry-first single IoT device module combining WiFi, cellular, and NTN satellite connectivity. Priced at $89 with bundled data (500MB cellular, 10kB satellite), no subscription fees, and pay-as-you-go satellite pricing at $0.00075 per byte. Built in partnership with Skylo.
- Starnote for Iridium Companion satellite module for Notecard that connects to the Iridium LEO satellite network, providing global coverage from every square mile on Earth. No monthly subscriptions required.
- Starnote for Skylo Companion satellite module for Notecard that connects to the Skylo GEO satellite network with automatic failover from cellular/WiFi. Priced at $54 with pay-as-you-go satellite data pricing and no monthly subscriptions.
- Notecard Cell+WiFi Notecard variant with LTE Cat 1, Cat 1 bis, Cat M, NB-IoT, GPRS cellular plus WiFi with automatic failover. Features dual-embedded SIM, GNSS/GPS, onboard ARM Cortex-M4 MCU with 2MB Flash.
- Notecard Cellular Cellular Notecard with global LTE Cat 1, Cat 1 bis, Cat M, NB-IoT, GPRS coverage and GNSS/GPS location tracking. Ultra-low power design with embedded SIM and bundled data including 10 years of data and 500MB usage with no monthly fees.
- Notecard XP Low-cost customizable cellular Notecard without internal power supply. Customizable BOM to remove unneeded features. Priced from $19 with 5,000 unit minimum and multi-year contracts, with optional Skylo satellite support.
- Notecard LoRa LoRaWAN compatible Notecard for long-range, ultra-low power connectivity. Communicates over a mile in urban and up to 5 miles in rural areas. Sleep mode wakes on sensor events for extended battery life.
- Nifty Fifty Sample Apps Collection of 50+ purpose-built reference applications for rapid IoT prototyping. Covers mobile tracking, equipment monitoring, building management, environment/energy, healthcare, and other verticals. Enables sending real sensor data to cloud in under 30 minutes.
- Design Review Program Complementary design service helping enterprises build Notecard-based connected products with reduced rework. Includes product ideation, architecture guidance, schematic/PCB layout review, component selection, firmware review, and cloud solution review.
- Idea to Market Program Intensive 6-8 week paid consulting engagement bridging pilot to production. Delivers board-ready business case, ROI model, production readiness assessment, and commercial launch plan. Designed for teams with working prototypes seeking to scale.
Quantifiable outcome
- Saves 12 months of R&D time, getting to market about a year sooner
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Blues
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments8 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Blues technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration6 records
AI capability8 records
Feature9 records
Blues partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- SkylocoreBlues and Skylo co-developed Notecard for Skylo and Starnote for Skylo, combining satellite, cellular, and WiFi connectivity in single modules. The partnership provides global coverage with automatic failover across three Radio Access Technologies (RATs) without requiring satellite subscriptions.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Blues competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Particle: Particle offers cellular IoT modules (Photon, Boron) paired with its Device Cloud and IoT platform — directly comparable to Blues' Notecard + Notehub stack in target market, developer-led GTM, and bundled connectivity model.
- Hologram: Hologram provides cellular IoT connectivity with SIM/eSIM and a cloud routing platform (Hologram Dashboard), targeting the same developer and enterprise IoT buyers with a connectivity-led rather than hardware-led approach.
- Soracom: Soracom delivers cellular IoT connectivity and an IoT platform (SORACOM Air, Beam, Funk, Harvest) with global coverage across multiple carriers — competing directly with Notehub's data routing and multi-RAT orchestration role.
Broad incumbents
- Sierra Wireless (Semtech): Semtech (post-Sierra Wireless acquisition) sells cellular IoT modules, gateways, and managed connectivity services globally — a much larger incumbent with comparable end-to-end cellular IoT offerings.
- Quectel: Quectel is the world's largest cellular IoT module vendor across LTE, 5G, and satellite — a scaled incumbent competing with Blues at the module level across automotive, industrial, and smart city segments.
- Telit Cinterion: Telit Cinterion provides cellular IoT modules and connectivity platforms for industrial and enterprise deployments — overlapping with Blues in industrial/asset monitoring verticals with a much broader portfolio.
- U-blox: U-blox offers cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GNSS modules plus positioning services — overlapping with Blues on multi-radio modules for industrial and automotive IoT with established OEM relationships.
- Nordic Semiconductor: Nordic designs low-power wireless SoCs (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, cellular IoT, GNSS) used in many Blues-class applications — competing for the same embedded wireless sockets with strong scale and IP.
- Murata: Murata supplies wireless modules (cellular, Wi-Fi, LoRa) for embedded IoT — a broader incumbent with comparable module form factors competing for the same OEM sockets in industrial and consumer IoT.
Emerging players
- Astrocast: Astrocast operates a LEO satellite IoT network and modules — directly comparable to Blues' Starnote for Iridium/Skylo offering in the satellite IoT niche with its own network infrastructure.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Blues social profiles
Digital presenceBlues compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Blues financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Blues leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Blues funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors7 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Blues M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Blues
What does Blues do?
Blues sells a device-to-cloud IoT connectivity system built on plug-and-play Notecard System-on-Modules (cellular, WiFi, satellite, LoRa) with prepaid bundled data, paired with the Notehub cloud orchestration platform for data routing, fleet management, and OTA updates. The company also sells companion satellite modules (Starnotes), development boards (Notecarriers, Swan/Cygnet MCUs), the Wireless for OPTA PLC add-on, the Airnote air quality monitor, and advisory services (Design Review and Idea to Market) for customers moving from prototype to production at scale.
Is Blues a public or private company?
Blues is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Blues founded?
Blues was founded in 2018. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Blues based?
Blues is headquartered in Beverly, United States, in the North America region.
How does Blues make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Hardware Sales are the primary driver. The others are cloud Services (Notehub), usage-Based Data and advisory Services.
Who are Blues's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Particle, Hologram and Soracom. Broad incumbents are Sierra Wireless (Semtech), Quectel, Telit Cinterion, U-blox, Nordic Semiconductor and Murata. Astrocast is listed as an emerging player.
Does Blues have an API?
Yes. Notehub provides JSON APIs for device configuration, fleet management, data routing, and remote device management. The API supports REST-based endpoints with JSONata-based data shaping and transformation. Devices interact with Notecard via JSON APIs over I2C or UART. Notehub's Harmonized UX & API allows uniform interaction across WiFi, cellular, LoRa, and Satellite radio access technologies. Developer documentation is at dev.blues.io/api-reference.
What industry is Blues in?
Blues's product category is Embedded IoT Connectivity Hardware. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAFAIAF, Cellular IoT/M2M Gateways & Routers (LTE/5G), with a secondary code of HDAIAJAF, Satellite IoT & Machine-to-Machine (M2M) Connectivity (LPWAN over Satellite). Its NAICS code is 5182 and its SIC code is 3576.