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LINDON — Jackson Hollberg's first venture into the mobile business was selling cellphones at a T-Mobile kiosk in a mall.
Now, the Utah native is coming off a Kickstarter for a sleek iPhone bumper case that raised more than $173,000. The new company he co-founded, ThanoTech, just purchased a building in Lindon to support the operations.
The main appeal of ThanoTech's bumper is that it is an aluminum frame fused to an inner rubber mold, meaning the case seamlessly blends in with the design of the iPhone 6, 6s and Plus models. It almost appears as though there is no case on the phone at all.
The bumper received favorable reviews from sites like BGR and the Canadian YouTube channel MobileReviewsEh, helping promote sales on Kickstarter. ThanoTech is also offering preorders of the bumper, which is expected to ship in November, for $30 on its website. In three weeks, the website processed $29,000 worth of sales.
"I've taken lots of risks," Hollberg said. "I have nothing. I live in my in-law's basement. I've sold everything to start this and we netted a $120,000 in our first month of business, so it has been pretty sweet."
Hollberg said he hopes ThanoTech's story will encourage others to take risks and become entrepreneurs. He has already worked with several people after posting an invitation online for fellow Utahns working on Kickstarter campaigns to meet and share advice.
"My main goal is to inspire youth, teenagers or young adults who are wanting to create something because I've spent 10 years creating for other people, and I got really sick of it," Hollberg said.
ThanoTech is meeting with retailers to get its iPhone bumper into big box stores and the company already has four more Kickstarter projects in the works. The next product is expected to launch early 2016.
