Groundspeak - About

Learn about the Groundspeak team:

Videography and Editing by Ryan K. Adams
Music written and performed by Sean Boots

Mission

Groundspeak's mission is to inspire outdoor play using location-based technology. We are committed to:

Building location-based tools that inspire real world discovery and global play
Providing and enhancing outdoor experiences
Supporting parks and outdoor recreational areas (often through Cache In Trash Out)
Educating about GPS and other location-based technologies
(through the GPS Adventures Maze and partnerships)
Bringing online communities together in physical locations

History

In May 2000, the U.S. government turned off Selective Availability, a feature which limited the accuracy of GPS signals for civilians. Within 24 hours, Dave Ulmer placed the first geocache (at that time called a "GPS Stash") and posted its coordinates online. Within three days, two people used their own GPS receivers to find the container and shared their experiences online.

Four months later, Jeremy Irish began Geocaching.com as a listing site to support the hobby. He was soon joined by Elias Alvord and Bryan Roth, who he worked with in his "real job" at a late 90's dot-com era startup. The three men were inspired by the ways in which location-based technology could enhance outdoor recreation. They founded Groundspeak Inc. to explore this matter and manage Geocaching.com. The founders obtained initial funding for the site from the sale of 144 donated geocaching t-shirts.

In the years since its founding, Groundspeak has continued to develop tools that leverage technology to create unique adventures in the real world. The company's product portfolio expanded to include Waymarking.com in 2005 and Wherigo.com in 2008. Groundspeak is a privately held company in Seattle, Washington.

Learn more about the history of geocaching.

Our Team

The Groundspeak team is made up of over 40 employees, affectionately known as the Groundspeak Lackeys, who focus on website development and design, software development, game creation, network and systems administration, customer service, community and volunteer relations, finance and accounting, HR, marketing and business development. And to top it all off, 400+ exceptional geocaching volunteers dedicate their time in support of the overall needs of the community. Whew!

Our Founders

: Jeremy Irish: CEO/President/Co-Founder

Jeremy is the President and CEO of Groundspeak. Jeremy launched Geocaching.com in September 2000 as the first official website for the geocaching hobby. Prior to this he was a member of the US Air Force working as a Cryptologic Linguist in the Mandarin language. He has also worked as a project manager, technologist, ecommerce developer and web developer for a number of companies including General Electric. Jeremy continues to be deeply involved in the various projects at Groundspeak.
: Elias Alvord: Vice President/Co-Founder

Elias manages the technical infrastructure for the company. Elias attended Northeastern University and has a background in both Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. He has been designing networks and telecommunications systems for over 20 years and has expertise in server hardware technology, database management and scalability, and multiple programming languages. Elias and his wife are passionate supporters of the arts community in Seattle.
: Bryan Roth: Vice President/Co-Founder

Bryan is responsible for business development and legal affairs. He also manages the trackable item program, promotions, community relations and advertising for Groundspeak. Bryan graduated from Binghamton University in New York and Emory Law School in Atlanta. He met his wife and adopted son Dylan at a geocaching event in 2001 (GC26D6) and they have since added a baby boy to their family.