It started with a simple problem that plagues many college students.
MSU alumnus Jeremy Lindlbauer and his childhood friends, University of Michigan alumni Paul Schrems and Nick Turnbull, were frustrated with trying to untangle headphones between classes when all they wanted was a “quick music fix.”
The trio teamed up two and a half years ago to create TurtleCell, a cell phone case made with built-in retractable headphones. The case, which fits the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5s, is available for pre-order on their official website.
“Basically, we worked really hard to solve the problem when you’re walking to class and all you want is to get a quick music fix,” Lindlbauer, a co-founder of the product, said. “We incorporated that into a phone case that prevents the breaking, losing and tangling of headphones.”
Pre-orders can be purchased for $39.95 and are expected to be delivered around October of this year.
Paul Jaques, the director of student and community engagements at Spartan Innovations, said he met with the TurtleCell team after they found out about Spartan Innovations. From there, he worked with them on finding connections with interested MSU alumni and through social media.
“They came to one of our first startup career fairs,” Jaques said. “People kept saying, ‘this is great — can I buy one now?’”
After various redesigns and pitch competitions, the TurtleCell company has grown. The company is licensed out of national retailers in Auburn Hills, and Lindlbauer said they expect to sell their product to more than 100,000 students in 6,000 stores.
There are three interns currently working with TurtleCell, and more set to join the staff. Jaques said he hopes to spread the word about TurtleCell to more university students and that they plan to do more recruiting at the next career fair.
U-M alumnus Dean Clancy has been working as an intern with TurtleCell for about a month. After finding out about the product at a U-M career fair, he joined the team to help with marketing, social media and analytics.
“Part of my job is to tell people about the thing, and every reaction I get everyone goes crazy about it,” he said. “It’s exciting to watch it grow. I hope to see it on the shelves in a bunch of stores and see people on the street with them, so I can say ‘hey, I helped with that.’ It’s exciting to see hard work pay off.”
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