I invented a new type of landline for kids, and my daughter's friends tested it out. This year, we've raised $3.5 million in funding.

"About three years ago, I was picking my daughter up from school and started chatting with parents about how arduous it is to run the kids' social lives. One mom said that she felt like an executive assistant for her daughter. There was a lot of frustration and angst toward the kids, and as a dad of three, I understood it."

"But that day, I played devil's advocate. What else are the kids supposed to do, I asked. My first social network was the landline, but my kids didn't have that. Most of the parents I knew were delaying cellphones, but that left the kids reliant on us for coordinating meet-ups. I got to thinking: wouldn't it be cool if there was a landline my kids - who are now 10, 8, and 5 - could use to organize their own social dates?"

"I had been working at the tech and real estate company Redfin, which I loved because the company environment allowed me to be a rising executive and an active dad. Still, I had this itch to build a company of my own. I left to start another real estate-related company, but ultimately, we didn't have a product-market fit, and had to call it quits after about two years."

"The same week I wrapped up that venture, I brought my co-founders over to talk about making my landline idea a reality. We spent a week at my kitchen table, making prototypes. By the end of the week, we had five phones. Two of the prototypes went to my daughter's friends. Right away, we started noticing the kids organizing more playdates and sleepovers. My favorite moment came when the phone rang at about 8:15 in the morning. My daughter's friend was inviting her"

Chet Kittleson created Tin Can, a Wi‑Fi landline designed for children to coordinate playdates and sleepovers independently. As a father of three, he noticed parents acting as organizers while many delayed giving kids cellphones. He built prototypes with co‑founders at his kitchen table after leaving a previous real estate venture and years at Redfin. Early tests with his daughter's friends produced immediate increases in organized social activity, including morning calls arranging walks to school and more overnight stays. High consumer demand has resulted in months-long backorders for the device.

Read at Business Insider