tl;dr Summary:

• CODE27 has raised over $10M in additional funding
• New Feature: Proactive Conversations - Your Codie can now initiate conversations
• Software and Firmware Improvements
• Current Fulfillment Status: 100+ shipped
• Next ~500 batch production continues to progress

Dear CODE27 Family,

CODE27 has now raised an additional $10M across our seed and seed extension rounds, backed by leading venture firms including Plug and Play. Here's what it means for you.

Hardware is expensive to scale. Going from Kickstarter production to retail shelves means new tooling, larger manufacturing runs, and inventory that has to exist before it sells. This funding makes that possible. We're partnering with leading Japanese retailers and expanding from there. Demo units are already on display at select locations for pre-orders.

Crowdfunding orders will be fulfilled before any retail orders ship.

Beyond hardware, this funding accelerates the marketplace, brings officially licensed characters through partnerships with beloved IP, and grows the team across Silicon Valley, Tokyo, and the rest of the world. And through all of it, the vision hasn't changed. While everyone else is building smarter tools, we're building the home for companions you'd actually want to come back to.

Full press announcement: https://code27.co/blogs/news/code27-secures-over-10-million-in-funding-to-build-immersive-interactive-character-companion-hardware

Now, onto your regular update. We have a software update in preparation along with continued progress on the next production batch.

Software Progress

Here's what's coming in our next software update.

C.O.D.I.E. Framework Improvements

Proactive Conversations

Your Codie can now start conversations with you, rather than only responding when spoken to.

General UI/UX Improvements

• Improved experience for accessing Diaries and other memory related features
• Improved experience for backup features using microSD cards
• Improved interaction flows for initial setup, connection and settings.
• Improved voice selection previews
• Improved chat control panel experience
• Improved upload process for custom 3D models

Stability and Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue where continuous voice mode detection could stop working
• Fixed a timeout issue when uploading large character model files
• Fixed a possible issue encountered during OTA firmware update process
• Improved Bluetooth connectivity experience

Content Progress

Art takes time and our 3D modelers, artists and content teams are still working on additional Codies, Codie Spaces, outfits, and animations.

Next Batch Production Progress

The next ~500 unit batch continues to progress smoothly through production. As many know, due to rising components costs, many brands from large to small, made cuts to their hardware specifications. We also faced this same component availability issue but we successfully resolved it by leveraging our supplier relationships and authorizing premium expedite protocols to secure our allocation. The additional funding mentioned earlier goes right into the project and ensures we overcome any hurdle, without resorting to switching to lower quality components. As our hardware uses custom-specified components that are sourced per production run, these are not the kind of parts that can simply be bulk-ordered far in advance. We design and build our own hardware from the board to the display tech. Hardware is hard and we're taking the time to do things right rather than rebrand a cheap cylinder with just a screen. We'll continue to keep you updated as things move forward.

What's Next

• Getting that next ~500 unit batch out the factory and into backers' hands
• Improving conversation quality, long-term memory and customization features
• Additional Codies & Codie Spaces development
• Resolving issues reported by early recipients

Address Reminder

If your shipping address has changed since you backed, please contact service@code27.co as soon as possible so we can make sure your unit reaches you. Product Support If you're experiencing any issues with your unit, please open a ticket in our Discord channel support-ticket at https://discord.gg/CODE27 or email service@code27.co so our team can help you directly. If you've noticed dust particles inside your device, please contact us right away and we will arrange an exchange. Contact us also if you have not received your activation code as a Kickstarter backer which should have been sent by noreply@mail.code27.co or service@code27.co in October. If there are any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact our support as well. Thank you for your continued patience and support.

With sincere gratitude,

The CODE27 Team