Tin Can: The Analog Phone Revolutionizing Kids' Communication

Tin Can has struck a chord with parents, kids, and now venture capitalists. The Seattle startup behind a landline-style telephone for children has raised $3.5 million in funding from investors including PSL Ventures, Newfund Capital, Mother Ventures, and Solid Foundations.

Greg Gottesman, managing director at PSL Ventures, called Tin Can "one of the fastest growing and most viral businesses I have seen in more than 25 years of venture investing."

First spotlighted in April, Tin Can's colorful WiFi-enabled landline phones are shaped like oversized tin cans and allow kids to talk to each other without screens, texting, or apps. The 7-person company quickly sold out its first two batches and is now taking pre-orders for December shipments.

Co-founder and CEO Chet Kittleson shared, "We started by building a phone just for our own kids, and it's been amazing to see that snowball into something much bigger that clearly resonates with families everywhere."

Tin Can's early success comes amid mounting concern over the impact of smartphones and social media on kids' mental health, attention spans, and social development. Kittleson noted, "Parents everywhere are grappling with how to give their kids independence without handing them the internet too soon. That cultural shift — away from screens and toward more analogue forms of connection — has been a huge tailwind for us."

The phones are priced at $75 and sold directly to families. Parents can choose between a free calling plan for Tin Can-to-Tin Can calls or a $9.99/month plan that enables calls to approved outside numbers. A companion mobile app allows parents to manage contacts, block unwanted calls, set quiet hours, and enable voicemail (called an "answering machine") and 911 emergency calling.

Kittleson emphasized that the device helps relieve parents' anxiety about smartphone risks, and kids love it for its fun features like dialing "HAHA" for a daily joke or "WORD" for a daily definition. Even grandparents report that calls are more thoughtful and focused compared to video chats.

Tin Can was founded by Kittleson, Graeme Davies, and Max Blumen, former colleagues at Seattle real estate startup Far Homes, which shut down last year. Vivek Ladsariya of PSL praised the mission-driven approach, saying, "It shows in the product, messaging, and branding and it's why customers love them. They want kids to live in an analog world."