Tin Can’s Retro Revival: How a Seattle Startup is Reconnecting Kids Through Old-School Phone Technology
In a world dominated by touchscreens and social media, Seattle-based startup Tin Can is taking a deliberately backward step to move childhood communication forward. The company, which creates colorful Wi-Fi-enabled landline-style phones for children, has just secured $12 million in seed funding led by Greylock Partners, with participation from Lateralus Holdings and existing investors. This latest round, announced Thursday, builds on their $3.5 million pre-seed funding from September, bringing their total funding to $15.5 million in just months. The rapid financial support demonstrates strong investor confidence in Tin Can’s mission to provide children with a healthier alternative to smartphones and tablets, allowing them to connect with friends and family without the drawbacks of screen time and social media pressure.
Tin Can’s success story seems almost counterintuitive in today’s digital landscape. Their flagship product – a deliberately simple, screen-free and text-free phone that operates on a private network – has struck a powerful chord with parents nationwide. Since launching earlier this year, the company has already sold out two production runs and built a waitlist approaching six figures. This extraordinary demand reflects growing parental anxiety about the documented negative effects of smartphones and social media on children’s mental health, attention spans, and social development. By reimagining the classic landline telephone with modern safety features and a companion app for parental controls, Tin Can offers families a nostalgic yet innovative solution to a very contemporary problem. The phones maintain the simplicity and directness of voice communication that defined previous generations’ childhood friendships, while incorporating the necessary connectivity and safety features today’s parents demand.
The company’s co-founder and CEO, Chet Kittleson, expressed his excitement about attracting investors who personally connect with Tin Can’s mission as parents themselves. “They really care about us and about the customer and about the world that we want to see,” Kittleson said of new backers David Shuman from Lateralus Holdings and Mike Duboe, general partner at Greylock. These strategic investors bring more than just capital; they contribute specialized expertise in areas critical to Tin Can’s growth. Duboe, described by Kittleson as “a growth machine” from his time leading growth at Stitch Fix, brings valuable marketing and scaling knowledge. Meanwhile, Shuman offers extensive expertise in supply chain management, manufacturing, and financial operations – skills that have already proven beneficial as Tin Can struggles to keep pace with overwhelming demand. This combination of mission-aligned investors with complementary technical expertise positions the company to scale effectively while maintaining its core values.
The vision for Tin Can extends far beyond simply selling a novel gadget. According to Greylock’s Mike Duboe, “Tin Can isn’t just building a product; they’re leading a movement.” This sentiment captures the company’s broader cultural ambition to fundamentally reimagine how children develop social connections in the digital age. Rather than accepting smartphones as an inevitable rite of passage, Tin Can offers families a thoughtful alternative that preserves childhood innocence while acknowledging modern realities. The product’s deliberate limitations – the absence of screens and texting capabilities – are actually its greatest strengths, freeing children from the documented anxieties of social media while encouraging more authentic, voice-to-voice connections. By creating what Duboe calls “a joyful alternative that redefines how we view modern connection,” Tin Can has tapped into a powerful counterculture movement among parents seeking to protect their children from technology’s more harmful aspects while still embracing its benefits.
Behind Tin Can’s success stands a team with deep startup experience and a passion for meaningful innovation. Kittleson, alongside co-founders Graeme Davies and Max Blumen, previously worked at Seattle real estate startup Far Homes, bringing valuable entrepreneurial experience to their new venture. Kittleson’s impact has already garnered recognition; he was recently honored as one of GeekWire’s six “Uncommon Thinkers” for his role in driving positive social change. His genuine enthusiasm for Tin Can’s unexpected success speaks volumes: “I’m so grateful that this is the hit, that it worked,” he told GeekWire. The company now employs 17 people and continues to grow rapidly, building a team culture as thoughtfully designed as their product. Their Seattle roots place them within one of America’s most vibrant tech ecosystems, providing access to talent and resources while maintaining a perspective somewhat removed from Silicon Valley’s often homogenous thinking.
With the new funding secured, Tin Can has ambitious plans for growth while staying true to its mission. The investment will primarily support scaling production to meet overwhelming demand, expanding engineering and customer support teams, and preparing for international expansion. This global vision suggests the concerns about children’s digital well-being transcend American borders, representing a worldwide parental movement. As Tin Can grows, they face the challenge of maintaining their thoughtful, mission-driven approach while scaling operations and possibly expanding their product line. The company’s success demonstrates that in an era of endless digital innovation, sometimes the most revolutionary ideas involve revisiting and reimagining technologies from the past. By combining the simple joy of a landline phone with modern connectivity and safety features, Tin Can has created something that feels simultaneously nostalgic and forward-thinking – a rare achievement in today’s tech landscape and a testament to the power of purposeful design that puts human connection first.
