Austin, Texas (August 13, 2024) – Pinwheel, an Austin-based startup behind a best-selling smartphone designed specifically for kids, announced today that it ranks No. 212 on the prestigious Inc. 5000 2024, the publication’s annual list of the fastest growing companies in America.
Pinwheel, which sells smartphones for children and tweens 8-14 that have pre-installed parental management tools and no social media, grew revenues by about 20X since 2021, placing it within the top 5% of the 2024 list. Over the past year, the company – whose phones have received positive reviews from the New York Times, USA Today and Parents Magazine – has expanded to serve families in Canada, and plans to launch in the UK and Australia markets soon.
Founded by CEO Dane Witbeck, a serial tech entrepreneur and father of four, Pinwheel has met a need from parents seeking solutions for staying in touch with children while protecting them from harmful online content, digital device distraction and addictive social media. Unlike other phones in this category, Pinwheel allows parents to customize the settings to meet their child’s current needs, then unlock features and more than 1,200 popular apps as their child grows into an independent young adult who manages technology well.
“It’s incredible to be honored on this prestigious list, which has honored such giant, now household name, brands as Under Armour, Patagonia and Chobani in the past,” said Witbeck. “As a dad with school-age children myself, it’s been especially gratifying to build and grow a company that is helping parents raise kids to develop healthy technology habits from a young age. It’s obvious we have tapped into an important need with products that deliver for both the young users and parents alike.”
More About the Inc. 5000
Companies on the 2024 Inc. 5000 are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2020 to 2023. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2020. They must be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independent—not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies—as of December 31, 2023. (Since then, some on the list may have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2020 is $100,000; the minimum for 2023 is $2 million. For complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, location, and other criteria, go to www.inc.com/inc5000.