Screen time with Austin entrepreneur Adam Lyons
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Austin entrepreneur Adam Lyons wants to shake up the cellphone industry.
Driving the news: He recently launched Really, a wireless carrier focused on privacy.
Context: Lyons previously was a founder at The Zebra, an Austin-based online insurance adviser.
- Several Really executives previously worked at other Austin companies, including chief revenue officer Jessie Scelzi and vice president of design Matthew Stephens (both had posts at the Zebra), as well as president Shawn Bose, part of the founding management team at uShip.
- The company is now building out its own network to keep things more private and secure, with "a couple hundred towers" already around Austin, per Lyons.
By the numbers: Lyons declined to say how many customers Really currently has, but the company — now just shy of 25 employees — has raised at least $18 million in investment.
- Standard plans at Really, which carry encrypted calling and microphone protection, are $129 a month, but the company plans to give out free phone plans in underserved communities as part of a mission to bridge the digital divide, Lyons says.
- The phone works in 99% of the U.S., as well as internationally, Lyons says.
Behind the name: "When we discussed building this company — one that could end the digital divide and create a modern telco centered around privacy and security — the first reaction was always, 'Really?!' So, we ran with it."
What they're saying: Axios caught up with Lyons to learn about how he uses his own phone for work and fun as part of our Screen Time series:
📱 Device of choice: Apple or Unplugged, the new privacy phone.
👇 First tap of the day: The news or X
🗞️ Go-to news sources: I read a lot of different news sources to try to get a lot of perspectives. I also enjoy the WSJ, Forbes and Time.
📞 Phone call recipients: Usually my parents in Pittsburgh, my team or my longtime friends. I prefer text and email!
🎶 Music on rotation: Currently, G-Eazy's new album, "Freak Show."
🎧 Favorite podcast: "All-In"
🧑💻 Most used app: Signal and ChatGPT
🛌 Last tap of the night: Gmail/Gcal. I always take one last look at my inbox and calendar for the following day.