People want TurtleCell's iPhone case with retractable earbuds so badly they are willing to give the Ann Arbor-based startup $10,000 to get the job done. Twice.
The smartphone accessory startup won the People's Choice award at last year's
Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition, which came with a check for $10,000 in seed capital. The company did it again earlier this month, taking the People’s Choice award at Accelerate Michigan and another $10,000.
"We do feel like we're a fan favorite," says Jeremy Lindlbauer, co-founder and director of branding & marketing for
TurtleCell. "We weren't surprised. We were holding our breath for a bigger check."
The 2-year-old startup didn't win one of the main prizes (top prize came with $500,000) but its team did leave knowing it would be able to deliver on its promise to sell iPhone case with retractable earbuds. The company is working with Digital Treasures in Auburn Hills and expects to sell between 300,000 and 500,000 units next year.
"We're expecting to be in mass production and delivery by next March," Lindlbauer says.
TurtleCell got its start when a couple of University of Michigan students got frustrated with constantly untangling the earbuds for their iPhones while walking to class. The group of three went through a few prototypes and started to really gain traction with their latest version.
TurtleCell's main product allows full access to the smartphone’s buttons and has a four-foot-long headphone that easily retracts back into the case. The earbuds are higher-quality. TurtleCell has hired five people over the last seven months to get the product ready for sales in 2015.
"We have a lot going on over the next few months," Lindlbauer says.
Source: Jeremy Lindlbauer, co-founder and director of branding & marketing for TurtleCell
Writer: Jon Zemke
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.
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