Ekster (company)

Ekster (established in 2016) is a Dutch direct-to-consumer company that designs and sells smart wallets, cardholders, and everyday carry accessories.

History

Ekster was founded in 2015 by Olivier Momma and Rick Scharnigg, later joined by Richard Canneman in the Netherlands. To fund development, they launched a Kickstarter campaign featuring a prototype wallet with a card-ejection trigger and optional tracker insert. The campaign raised over one million U.S. dollars.

In 2020, Ekster acquired Travelteq, a Dutch brand specializing in modular luggage and backpacks.

Products

Ekster’s wallets: slim, vertically oriented wallets that use an aluminum trigger mechanism to eject up to six cards and include an RFID-blocking aluminum chassis.

Parliament Wallet: a leather wallet built around an aluminum, RFID-protected cardholder.

Reception

Ekster’s products have been covered in technology and lifestyle media. Wired described the Parliament Wallet as “pocket-sized perfection”. Business Insider identified it as the best smart wallet overall, while Forbes in 2024 called it “a crowd favorite for a reason.”

While reviews have generally been positive, early models were reported to have fragile plastic triggers, certain metal cards occasionally slipped from the holder, and the wallets offered limited capacity for cash. The company’s customer service, particularly regarding product returns and replacements, has also received criticism in online forums. CNN Underscored also criticizrd its relatively high price.