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Infrastructure Boom · Hardware Wallets · Founded 2013 · Active

Trezor (SatoshiLabs)

Trezor (SatoshiLabs) is a Bitcoin company in the Hardware Wallets category, founded in 2013 by Marek 'Slush' Palatinus, Pavol 'Stick' Rusnak.

The Idea

Build the world's first hardware wallet, a small, single-purpose computer that keeps Bitcoin private keys in an isolated, offline environment. The idea came after a Bitcoin conference in Prague in 2011 where the two envisioned a dedicated device for secure key storage.

Early Traction

The Trezor Model One launched on July 29, 2014 as the world's first commercial hardware wallet, introducing the entire concept to the market. Its fully open-source, auditable design became the template competitors copied, and Ledger was founded the same year to chase the category Trezor had just created.

Peak Stats

Created an entirely new product category. Trezor has sold well over 2 million devices and, with roughly 28% share, remains one of the two dominant hardware wallet brands globally alongside Ledger.

Status Today

Active. SatoshiLabs continues to develop Trezor hardware wallets and other Bitcoin tools, including the peer to peer exchange Vexl. On August 13, 2026 it disclosed that a breach at its shipping provider, ShipMonk, exposed order data for 13,689 recent customers, including home addresses and phone numbers for 11,742 of them. Leaks across hardware wallets remain the industry's unsolved problem due to wrench attacks, limiting broader adoption.

Why It Matters

Palatinus (who also created the first mining pool) is one of the most important builders in Bitcoin history. Trezor solved the fundamental 'how do I hold this safely' problem and spawned an entire industry. The decision to remain bootstrapped and open-source embodies the cypherpunk ethos of Bitcoin.

Cite & share

Early Riders. “The 50 Most Interesting Companies in Bitcoin’s History: Trezor (SatoshiLabs).” https://earlyriders.com/top50/trezor/

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