The worldwide popularity of tablet computers is on the rise, and it’s not hard to see why: they’re lightweight, they connect to the internet nearly anywhere, and they make excellent portable entertainment systems. 

So, if tablets are so handy, why do consumers only have a choice between iOS and Android operating systems?

Jingling is on a mission to change the tablet landscape by offering a third option — a consumer-grade Linux tablet — that makes no compromises. Jingling recently launched their first Linux tablet on Indiegogo, the Jingpad A1, which raised nearly $150,000 in a matter of minutes, proving the deep market for Linux-based tablets. Their concept has gained so much traction, in fact, that the team recently secured $10 million in seed funding from prominent Venture Capital firm Sinovation.

The origin of the Jingpad A1

The story of JingPad begins three years ago when Jingling’s CEO noticed there was a gap in the consumer-level Linux tablet market. When he posted his observation on Reddit, he received 73 comments in a single day, which piqued his interest. 

After doing some deeper market analysis within the Linux community, he discovered that no consumer-grade Linux tablets existed on the market, so he saw an opportunity. The Jingling JingPad was born.

The world’s first consumer-oriented, open-source tablet

The Jingpad A1 is the world’s first consumer-level Linux tablet, built around the concept of open-source operating systems and software. It brings all the best aspects of iOS and Android tablets — a large display, top-tier computing power, sleek design — and adds an additional layer of customizability. As a Linux-based tablet, it’s fully open source, so users can tinker with nearly any part of the operating system.

And Jingling’s hunch around market demand has proven correct. When JingPad launched on Indiegogo earlier this year, it raised just under $150,000 in just 15 minutes, validating the market for a consumer-grade Linux tablet. 

“That was such an exciting night for all of us,” says Yumeng Cheng, Head of Branding at Jingling. “We didn’t know what to expect when we launched, and it was such an incredible surprise when we raised the $150,000 so quickly. Fifteen minutes!” 

“We realized that our community of backers were so passionate for a Linux tablet, and we were offering something that didn’t exist before,” Cheng continues. “It’s been a whirlwind.”

Jingling secures $10 million in venture capital 

And the whirlwind doesn’t stop there. In June, it was announced that Sinovation Ventures, a prominent venture capital firm based in Beijing, would be funding Jingling’s $10 million seed round. “We’re thrilled to get this sort of validation from such a big player in the field. $10 million certainly will give us a great head start,” Cheng says.

The future of JingPad is bright

With $10 million in the bank, the Jingling team is excited to take their operation to the next level.

“Our strategy is to use our seed funding to invest in world-class R&D,” Cheng explains. “We know that design and development are at the core of every exceptional product, so we plan on focusing on building out our product roadmap.” 

She adds:

“Our vision is to offer a third viable option in the tablet landscape beyond iOS and Android. I think we just got a little bit closer to making that vision a reality.”

To learn more about the Jingling JingPad A1, check out their campaign page here.