So I recently started combing through the top-comments of this subreddit, mainly because of how ridiculous everything sounds. After finding out how little these people actually care about creating something unique, I started researching a little more. Expect a long post.
TL;DR: Guy is the CEO of some bad GPS-tracker crowdfunding, shitty dental care device and crime prevention software. Very shady. Keep away.
Following the tracks ...
Turns out there is another indiegogo campaign using exactly that intro, the Smart Tracker 2 (GPS-tracking device). By now I was so agitated, that I wanted to know the connection. Turns out the CEO of iBreathe (Eni Kuksi) lists Smart Tracker 2 on his Behance profile as reference. He's also got an Upwork account (freelance job site) and is a graphics designer/video guy. That explains the similarity in the videos of course. This campaign was successfully funded with $305,423.
Now looking into the comment section of Smart Tracker 2 I quickly noticed similar sentiments as in the case of iBreathe. Lots of people requesting refunds and sparse updates. So I dug deeper ...
... a little further ...
... and wouldn't you know, I found Smart Tracker. A slightly less sleek-looking and older version of Smart Tracker 2 up on indiegogo from the same group. Now these devices look similar, and you might think one is an improved version, but there is a catch: Smart Tracker was never actually produced. After successful funding they waited a while until announcing the new campaign. You'd either be refunded or pay $50 more to get in on Smart Tracker 2. They essentially extorted even more money from the backers in return for essentially the same product -- after they backed it andfunded it successfully with $18,702.
... until the bottom.
But it doesn't even end there. Turns out this start-up that is now producing mobile GPS tracking devices, also produces a dental care product (seriously, wtf???), the Innovative Swiss Teeth Whitening Machine. This campaign is run by the same account as Samrt Tracker 2. Same deal here, lots of frustration in the comments, calls for refunds etc.. Their Facebook, Twitter and webpage are long gone. Though, to their credit, some people apparently got the device (though useless without the missing whitening gel). Now I thought these people are real incompetent leeches. Funny side note: Our friends Eni Kuksi's Upwork profile lists "3D renderings of dental treatment" as past job (maybe they've been business partners longer).
But wait ... there is more!
By searching google and whois'ing their webpages I finally found what convinced me they could really be some shady people. I found this long abandoned crime prevention software campaign, LastCrime, and none other than Julien Buschor, this time acting under the pseudonym Julien Courteville is the CEO (news story on the campaign ). You got to be fucking kidding me! GPS, dental care and statistics software in the same start-up?!
Turns out, he wants to keep his real name as secret as possible (yeah, guy, you suuure do) and that's why he uses a pseudonym, and that's probably also why he completely changed the name on indiegogo to Alfred Courteville. Now you might think they are different guys, but all press releases have the same address as his "consulting firm" (I can provide said releases, but don't want to doxx the guy). Funding for this campaign failed, but was of course flexible. Subsequently, all traces of this product were completely removed. Facebook - gone, Twitter - gone, Website - gone (but archived here ).
Conclusion
In my opinion something very shady is going on here. These are some campaigns that have received exorbitant amounts of money and left backers very displeased. The people involved try to stay as anonymous as possible, even going so far as to not show their portraits on the website for Smart Tracker 2. Instead, there are cartoons like this one. His colleagues are mostly freelancers as far as I can tell, some are listed for multiple of the projects mentioned though ("all-round experts" apparently ...). In my opinion this could very well be some kind of organized money-making scheme. Especially considering how fast and complete LastCrime vanished from the internet after getting partial funding - it looks very deliberate.
My final verdict: If you see his name, think about funding it again.
Bonus: Some kind of company-page connected to Smart Tracker 2, that is never mentioned on indiegogo.
there doesn't seem to be anything here