Building Tools That Reveal the Hidden
Our Story
Goldburn was born out of necessity in 2024 during National Geographic’s Project Marshlight. While trying to document elusive diamondback terrapins, Soren Goldsmith realized that the animals would hide at the slightest human presence, and the right tool to observe them didn't exist. Teaming up with Ethan Arterburn, they engineered a custom solution: a motion-triggered aquatic camera trap.
Building for Everyone
What started as a specialized tool to capture intimate, undisturbed wildlife behavior quickly sparked widespread interest, earning national features by PBS NewsHour and National Geographic. Recognizing the demand for a non-invasive, cost-effective way to study underwater ecosystems, Goldburn was founded to make the Terrapin 1 accessible to all.
Our Mission
Land camera traps revolutionized wildlife conservation by providing a non-invasive, continuous method for studying animals; it’s time to apply this underwater. At our core, we design innovative, backpack-ready tools that merge technical engineering with environmental storytelling. By empowering people to document aquatic life long-term and close-up, we strive to help people see and understand more of the natural world with zero human disturbance.
Our Values
Exploration
Accessibility
Innovation
Storytelling
Conservation
The First Camera Trap
Video by Jason Derrick
Our first aquatic camera trap was giant, heavy, and clunky. While we’ve come a long way since then, we’re still working towards the same goals with the same motivations.
Our Team
Soren Goldsmith
A wildlife photographer and engineer building tools to document the unseen. As a National Geographic Explorer, he combines these passions to advance how we observe the underwater world.
Ethan Arterburn
A mechanical engineer and innovator designing hardware with real-world impact. Drawing on his background at UW-Madison, he combines technical skill with a drive to create technology that's accessible to all.