This summer, local Verizon stores are introducing a product developed by a group of recent U-M grads to solve one of smartphone users’ most common frustrations. TurtleCell, conceived in 2012 by then-grad student Paul Schrems, is a smartphone case incorporating built-in earbuds that retract into the case, eliminating tangles.
TurtleCell’s 2013 Kickstarter campaign fell far short of its $50,000 goal, but the company gained traction with a big win at the 2013 Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition. That drew the interest of Auburn Hills-based mobile accessories company Digital Treasures, which has since invested nearly $1 million in TurtleCell as the company’s distribution partner. Kerrytown-based TurtleCell also raised $250,000 in seed funding from Ann Arbor angel investors last year.
TurtleCell cases are manufactured in China. Director of brand and marketing Jeremy Lindlbauer says that was the “only feasible option,” noting that some parts couldn’t even be sourced in the U.S. “A small spring that is used inside of our case is considered a toy-sized spring in the United States,” Lindlbauer says. “All they make is automotive springs because everything has been outsourced for so long.”
TurtleCell’s iPhone 5s case is now available at more than ten Michigan Verizon retailers, including Wireless Zone on Main St. In June Wireless Zone account executive Anthony Girard says his store sold three or four TurtleCells in the product’s first six weeks on the shelves. Cases for the iPhone 6 and 6s are on the way this month.
