Screen Skinz raises $1.5 million to create custom screen protectors

Clay Canning got here up with an idea while still in highschool: smartphone screen protectors with a logo placed directly on the screen.

He later connected with Rashaun Brown, who was working in sports and licensing on the time, and the thought for Screen Skinz was born.

“We both understood the opportunity and filled each other’s weaknesses,” Brown, the corporate’s CEO, told TechCrunch. “In December 2022, I left my job to pursue Screen Skinz with Clay full-time.”

Now Screen Skinz can officially announce the closing of a $1.5 million seed round led by South Loop Ventures and Abo Ventures.

The company produces custom, patent-pending phone screen protectors that feature personalized logos or slogans which might be visible when the phone’s screen is black after which disappear when the phone is in use. Customers can create their very own designs or select from the corporate’s existing catalog.

Phone accessories have at all times been an enormous market, worthy of the worldwide screen protector market alone is estimated at $51 billion from 2023

Screen Skinz already holds creative licenses with a wide range of high-profile brands, working with organizations reminiscent of the NFL and NBA and entertainment brands reminiscent of Marvel and WWE.

The latest fundraising allowed Screen Skinz to move production from Asia to the United States, making it easier for it to control its supply chain.

The company is looking to expand its footprint within the screen protector industry, and while it currently focuses solely on smartphones, it plans to in the future expand to produce screen protectors for tablets. “With our intellectual property, we can essentially develop a screen protector for any mobile device that can serve as a screen protector and has a backlit display,” Brown said.

Brown described Screen Skinz’s fundraising process as “different” and said it took the corporate a couple of yr to close a seed round. Brown and Canning deliberately took their time because additionally they wanted to improve their supply chain and prepare inventory for a mass market launch. “We wanted to sell investors a realistic vision,” Brown said.

Screen Skinz met its co-lead investor, Abo Ventures, through Brown’s network from his time at Texas A&M. They then met South Loop Ventures while attending the DivInc Sports Tech Accelerator in Houston.

Michelle Micone, former vice chairman of consumer products for the NFL and Hasbro, said she liked that the team had a novel concept and in addition worked out the production and logistics involved in producing it. “Customers expect a high level of personalization, but it’s really difficult to deliver this on time and at a reasonable price. Screen Skinz has this formula, and I wanted to be a part of it,” she told TechCrunch.

Other investors within the round included Brent Montgomery, Wheelhouse CEO, in addition to Wayne Pfeffer and Brendan O’Donnel, former global directors of mobile accessories at Apple. Pfeffer specifically liked the thought of ​​making screen protectors more customizable. “For years, device customization was limited to the casing,” he told TechCrunch. “When I saw the evolution of the front on the screen protector, I used to be sold!

Brown said the corporate can expect pay raises as early as next yr. Screen Skinz then entered into partnerships and is concentrated on acquiring customers and deepening licensing relationships.