This Simple Phone Tattoo Idea Just Landed a 6-Figure Deal on ‘Shark Tank’

A startup launched in a laundry room landed a $300,000 deal with Kevin O’Leary—a.k.a. Mr. Wonderful—and guest shark and co-founder of Reddit Alexis Ohanian seven years after its conception.

When Clay Canning started his screen protector business in his parents’ laundry room, he had no idea what it would become. “I started etching on glass for fun, and then Screen Skinz kind of came to life from there,” Canning told 10 Tampa Bay News.

After founding Screen Skinz, Canning teamed up with RaShaun Brown in 2022 to construct a line of personalized tempered-glass screen protectors. The screen protectors display custom designs, logos, or team branding when a phone screen is off, but disappear when the screen is active. The designs range from professional sports teams to pop culture icons like Hello Kitty.

“Think of it like a tattoo for your phone,” Canning explained. “People love to personalize things these days, and that’s kind of what we’re doing as we’re bringing personalization to the front of the phone.”

Along with their adviser Wayne Pfeffer, the duo decided to go on ABC’s Shark Tank with the hopes of securing funding and partnerships from any of the five investors.

During the episode, they pitched the brand, citing strong consumer demand, major licensing deals, and scalable growth potential within the massive global accessories market.

O’Leary was the first to make the $300,000 offer, but Ohanian couldn’t resist joining in. “There’s so much to like about you guys and your drive. You’re on the cusp of something, the margins are so damn good—that’s why I’ll match Mr. Wonderful’s offer,” Ohanian said.

“The Sharks’ investment is a validation of the perseverance, calculated risk, and resilience it took to get here—and the fuel we need to scale the business and bring our product to customers around the world,” Canning said in a press release.

The $300,000 investments came with 15 percent equity and a $1 royalty per screen protector sold until the investors recoup three times their initial investment.

“Having two Sharks is always better than one,” Canning said after securing the deal. “We’re ready for the challenge, and hopefully we can execute on what we need to do.”

Following their appearance on Shark Tank, Screen Skinz announced a partnership with Belkin—a prominent consumer electronics and connectivity company.