Clay Canning had a concept in high school: smartphone screen coverings with brands directly on the screen.
Eventually, he met Rashaun Brown, who was working in sports and licensing at the time, and together they created the concept for Screen Skinz.
“We both understood the opportunity and complemented each other’s weaknesses,” Brown, the company’s CEO, told Eltrys. “In December 2022, I resigned from my job to pursue building Screen Skinz with Clay full time.”
South Loop Ventures and Abo Ventures led a $1.5 million seed round that Screen Skinz can now officially announce.
The company creates unique, patent-pending phone screen covers with customized logos or phrases that appear while the screen is dark and disappear when the phone is in use. Customers may develop their own designs or choose from the company’s current collection.
Phone accessories have long been a large business, with the worldwide screen protector market alone worth an estimated $51 billion by 2023.
Screen Skinz already has creative licensing agreements with a number of well-known businesses, including the NFL and NBA, as well as entertainment companies like Marvel and WWE.
Screen Skinz’s most recent fundraising campaign enabled the company to relocate production from Asia to the United States, giving it more control over its supply chain.
The business intends to double down on the screen protection market, and although it now only focuses on smartphones, there are plans to eventually extend to providing screen protectors for tablets. “With our IP, we can essentially develop screen protection for any mobile device that has a screen protector and features a backlit display,” he added.
Brown defined Screen Skinz’s fundraising approach as “different,” adding that it took the firm around a year to complete its seed round. Brown and Canning took their time because they wanted to fine-tune their supply chain and prepare inventories for a mass-market launch. “We wanted to do the work of selling a realistic vision to investors,” Brown went on to say.
During his time at Texas A&M, Screen Skinz met its co-lead investor, Abo Ventures, through Brown’s network. They then encountered South Loop Ventures while taking part in the DivInc Sports Tech Accelerator in Houston.
Michelle Micone, former SVP of consumer goods at the NFL and Hasbro, said she enjoyed how the team had a distinct idea while also figuring out the production and logistics of creating it. “Customers want a high degree of customization, yet it is very difficult to provide on time and at a fair price. “Screen Skinz has that formula, and I wanted to be part of it,” she told Eltrys.
Brent Montgomery, CEO of Wheelhouse, is among the other investors in the round, as are Wayne Pfeffer and Brendan O’Donnel, former directors of international mobile accessory products at Apple. The concept of making screen coverings more customizable particularly persuaded Pfeffer. For many years, the case was the only way to personalize your device, he told Eltrys. “The front-facing advancement of a screen protector sold me!”
Brown said that the business may consider raising funds again as early as next year. Screen Skinz is planning various collaborations in the near future, with an emphasis on customer acquisition and expanding licensing connections.
