{"data":{"type":"company_profile","id":135453,"entity_id":"wefunder:company:135453","attributes":{"canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/pinwheel2023raise","generated_at":"2026-06-26T04:25:53Z","updated_at":"2026-06-25T05:02:21Z","entity_ids":{"company":"wefunder:company:135453","slug":"wefunder:company_slug:pinwheel2023raise"},"profile_visibility":{"owner_published":true,"public_search_results":true,"site_search_listed":false,"privacy_mode":"unlisted","invite_only":false},"provenance":{"source":"wefunder_public_company_profile","as_of":"2026-06-26T04:25:53Z","claims":{"total_amount_raised":{"source":"FrontCompanySummary#amount_raised","last_verified_at":"2026-06-25T05:02:21Z","as_of":"2026-06-26T04:25:53Z","confidence":"high"},"total_investors":{"source":"FrontCompanySummary#number_of_investors","last_verified_at":"2026-06-25T05:02:21Z","as_of":"2026-06-26T04:25:53Z","confidence":"high"},"active_raise_states":{"source":"Fundraise.visible(nil, nil)","last_verified_at":"2025-02-25T21:14:05Z","as_of":"2026-06-26T04:25:53Z","confidence":"high"},"latest_fundraise_state":{"source":"Fundraise.visible(nil, nil).order(funding_started_at)","last_verified_at":"2025-02-25T21:14:05Z","as_of":"2026-06-26T04:25:53Z","confidence":"medium"}}},"company":{"id":135453,"entity_id":"wefunder:company:135453","slug":"pinwheel2023raise","name":"Pinwheel","tagline":"Smartphone Operating System Optimized For Kids \u0026 Teens","story":"We started Pinwheel because we believe that kids \u0026amp; teens deserve technology designed to support their growth. Currently, kids \u0026amp; teens are in a widespread mental health crisis. Peer-reviewed research points to smartphones, especially social media, as a major part of the problem. Social media gives kids social comparison and performative identities in place of authentic connection and the healthy, independent coming-of-age experiences every generation before has taken for granted.We’re out to help parents give kids the phone features they're ready for, as they're ready for them, so that kids grow up tech-savvy\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;emotionally healthy.Our Product MissionPut humans back in the driver's seat of technology with a phone that helps kids \u0026amp; teens achieve their noblest intentions.Pinwheel is on track to land in the top 100 on the Inc. 5,000 fastest growing private companies in America list by the end of 2023 (the first time we'll qualify with the amount of financial history required). Pinwheel has been featured on the Today Show, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Android Central, hundred+ local news TV shows, and various influential blogs, podcasts, and media sites.What problem does the Pinwheel Smartphone solve?Kids get their first smartphone at 10-12. They are not ready for the adult world inside.Parents lack the tools and information to introduce technology gradually and with good oversight.The result of “too much, too soon” is a mental health crisis in our kids.In the USA, the National Institute of Health has declared a state of emergency in response to the deterioration of our youth's mental health.How does the Pinwheel smartphone work? We have built a suite of software on top the Android Operating System. It's not just one app. Settings, VPN (virtual private network), mobile-device-management, contacts, messages, launcher, and caregiver apps as well as backend services combine to provide the full offering.Parents can remotely configure the phone to have different apps and functions in different contexts, like school and home. Easy \"off\" button allows a parent to stop screen time at the touch of a button on their own phone, while maintaining emergency contact communication. We have over 1,000 apps for parents to add to their child’s phone. Our curated App Library provides unique safety ratings and risk information to support parents’ decision-making. Kids cannot access any app store.No social media is available. Some newer app options from startups that are built with mental health in mind are promoted instead. GPS location and history. Contact management can be shifted through three maturation stages: from parent-controlled, to child-led, to teen managed, with text history remotely visible to parents throughout the journey. Visualization of our technology stack with Pinwheel proprietary technology in the pink box. How does the Pinwheel business model work? We offer phone models from leading manufacturers (ie Samsung).Each phone comes with a $15/month subscription to the parental guidance software.The product comes with the software pre-installed to make getting started easy. Parents have their own access to parental guidance tools on iOS, Android, and web to monitor and provide guidance to their kids. Where is Pinwheel Sold? Pinwheel is sold mostly on pinwheel.com directly to customers. Reviews matter! Hear straight from our customers...Google, TrustPilot, Amazon, Pinwheel.com combined reviews: We’ve been really happy with our Pinwheel experience.It was just what we were looking for our kiddo. Customer service is also outstanding! Nothing but good things to say about this company.\"\"So far this phone service for my 11- and 14-year-olds has been really great.It is limited enough that I don't feel like they can get into trouble with the phones but has enough options that I can manage to make it a smartphone that they are happy with.\"\"Exactly what we were looking forWe purchased a Pinwheel phone for our son last summer, and it has been an amazing experience. I've been able to easily customize settings for my son using the app. On two occasions I wasn't sure how to proceed, but the live chat on the website was able to assist me promptly and provide me with the information I needed. We have his phone set to only receive texts/calls from approved numbers and it has worked perfectly. Furthermore, approving new contacts is super fast and easy on the parent app (as is revoking them if they're no longer needed). A+\"\"Pinwheel is the best out there!Pinwheel is fantastic! I searched high and low for a good option for my son that has the parental control I require and the flexibility and \"cool\" factor that he wants. And their customer service is top notch! Cannot say enough good things about Pinwheel!\"\"Awesome service for a first cellphone…Awesome service for a first cell phone for your child! Really cool features, great range of controls. Absolutely everything you would want for your child to be on the phone safely! Customer Service was super prompt and helpful as well!\"\"Pinwheel has been amazing!\u0026nbsp;When looking for a phone for my son, Pinwheel came up in my search. I was a bit skeptical because I had never heard of this company but, after having this phone for 5 months now, I have only had a good experience. Customer service is 100% amazing too. If you have a question about anything, there is always someone there to help. I am very pleased with this purchase and would recommend them to anyone looking for a monitored phone for their child.\"\"Mom, wife, nurseWe love that we can add apps and permit more freedom as he grows and becomes more responsible and aware. Also, the customer service is AMAZING!\"\"The solution that worksEasy parental control dashboard, son likes that it looks and operates like a regular smartphone, but he can't work around it like other parental control apps we have tried... This mom is a happier mom and less stressed because of this phone.\"Exciting New ProductWe are really excited to be adding to our existing suite of kid appropriate software with PinwheelGPT, an AI-chat interface app designed specifically for kids \u0026amp; teens. You can sign-up here for free: https://ai.pinwheel.comThis solves a problem that has perplexed parents since the beginning of the internet. How can a parent safely provide access to the world of information and discovery available online without granting access to all of the kid inappropriate content out there? AI provides the way!This app launched in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store in August 2023! This is really an exciting opportunity for a few reasons: Discovery: A new way for parents to discover PinwheelRevenue: Freemium business modelSolution: Kid \u0026amp; teen use of the internet for positive purpose without the downsidesSelect product design imagesConclusionWhen we raised our very first round of funding in early 2020, we explored how we might make it possible for a large group of parents and supporters to invest alongside the traditional investors, but it ultimately it proved too complex. Most importantly, it was difficult to include people who were not already accredited investors—a qualification determined largely by wealth. But the idea never left our minds.We are passionate about building Pinwheel with real parents who care, and this community round is an excellent way to materialize that commitment. We’re doing this because the dynamics of the community around Pinwheel change for the better when the people who are using it for their children's benefit are also participating owners of it. This not only provides good for our company, but it also presents an opportunity for you to participate in the benefits —including the financial upside.In recent years, doing a community round like this one has become more viable because of regulatory changes and the rise of companies like Wefunder, which makes the process simple.We’re thrilled that Circadian and Drumbeat - professional venture capitalists —have both invested again in this round. We are even more excited to enable hundreds if not thousands of others to invest alongside these groups.We want to make it clear, however, that just because you can invest in Pinwheel, it doesn’t mean you should. Investments are risky—especially in startups, which have a habit of dying, pivoting, or simply not making enough money. Pinwheel is still a young company, and we are still proving that there is a large market for safe and age-appropriate technology for kids aged 9 to 15. If you don’t have money to spare, don’t spend it on this.If, however, you share our belief that Pinwheel can grow its financial impact alongside its social impact, then this investment could be worth a shot. We are at the forefront of creating a new generation of technology designed specifically for kids and teens. This work is ambitious and exciting, and it's certainly meaningful. We’d love to have you by our side as we build this new intentional tech ecosystem for our children together.For a longer explanation of how I got started, see this video!","location":"Austin, TX","website":"https://pinwheel.com","total_amount_raised":228636,"total_investors":139,"is_funded":true,"is_active":true,"quality_score":5,"related_urls":["https://wefunder.com/pinwheel2023raise","https://pinwheel.com"]},"media":{"share_image_url":"https://uploads.wefunder.com/uploads/company/header_media_photo/135453/xxl_blob.jpg","logo_url":"https://uploads.wefunder.com/uploads/company/logo/135453/large_blob.png","header_media_url":"https://uploads.wefunder.com/uploads/company/header_media_photo/135453/standard_blob.jpg","cover_photo_url":"https://uploads.wefunder.com/uploads/company/header_media_photo/135453/standard_blob.jpg"},"links":{"company_url":"https://pinwheel.com","linkedin_url":"https://www.linkedin.com/company/pinwheelio/","twitter_url":"https://twitter.com/pinwheelphone"},"highlights":[],"quick_facts":[{"index":1,"claim_id":"claim-fact-1","value":"4.7 Star Rating on 1,000+ online reviews on Google, TrustPilot, and Amazon."},{"index":2,"claim_id":"claim-fact-2","value":"Highlighted in major press outlets like the WSJ, NYT, USA Today, NBC, CBS, and The Today Show."},{"index":3,"claim_id":"claim-fact-3","value":"Massive growing consumer market for specially-designed tech options for kids \u0026amp; teens."}],"team":[{"id":3519861,"entity_id":"wefunder:company_role:3519861","user_entity_id":"wefunder:user:2886052","role":"founder","name":"Dane Witbeck","title":"CEO ","bio":"Dane (Georgia Tech, Stanford) is the CEO \u0026amp; Founder at Pinwheel. Previously, Dane co-founded Meshify, which was acquired in 2016 by a German global fortune 500 corporation, MunichRE (stock symbol MUV2.TI).","avatar_url":"http://uploads.wefunder.com/uploads/user/avatar/2886052/large_ea86038f4b0290cfffc020230404-77-1n7juzx.jpg?1769647240","profile_url":"https://wefunder.com/dane.witbeck","linkedin_url":"https://linkedin.com/in/danewitbeck","twitter_url":"https://twitter.com/danewitbeck","related_urls":["https://wefunder.com/dane.witbeck"]},{"id":3549773,"entity_id":"wefunder:company_role:3549773","user_entity_id":"wefunder:user:2900177","role":"employee","name":"Leslie Tyler","title":"CMO","bio":"Leslie (UT Austin, Berkeley) has grown B2B SaaS and B2C tech companies from zero to over $125M with multiple successful exits (IPO and acquisition). Most recently she led Marketing \u0026amp; Sales at Edulastic, which was acquired by GoGuardian in 2021.","avatar_url":"https://uploads.wefunder.com/uploads/company_role/custom_photo/3549773/square_blob.jpg?1769647240","profile_url":"https://wefunder.com/leslie.tyler","linkedin_url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslietyler/","related_urls":["https://wefunder.com/leslie.tyler"]}],"featured_investors":[{"id":1063,"entity_id":"wefunder:company_investor_profile:1063","investor_profile_id":3633403,"investor_profile_entity_id":"wefunder:investor_profile:3633403","subject_entity_id":"wefunder:notable_investor:6814","name":"Drumbeat Ventures","role_title":"","avatar_url":"https://wefunder.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6NzQ1OTIsInB1ciI6ImJsb2JfaWQifX0=--e0529c85bdaa36bebdfed0bff9161186a3525f3c/filename","profile_url":"https://wefunder.com/drumbeat.ventures","endorsement_name":"","is_lead_investor":false,"related_urls":["https://wefunder.com/drumbeat.ventures"]},{"id":1064,"entity_id":"wefunder:company_investor_profile:1064","investor_profile_id":3633404,"investor_profile_entity_id":"wefunder:investor_profile:3633404","subject_entity_id":"wefunder:notable_investor:6815","name":"Circadian.VC","role_title":"","avatar_url":"https://wefunder.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6NzQ1OTMsInB1ciI6ImJsb2JfaWQifX0=--49af71bc52a32fad2295f820dee475d10b61384c/filename","profile_url":"https://wefunder.com/circadianvc","endorsement_name":"","is_lead_investor":false,"related_urls":["https://wefunder.com/circadianvc"]},{"id":4987,"entity_id":"wefunder:company_investor_profile:4987","investor_profile_id":3588127,"investor_profile_entity_id":"wefunder:investor_profile:3588127","subject_entity_id":"wefunder:user:4125986","name":"Mike Dowdle","role_title":"","avatar_url":"https://wefunder.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6NzQ1ODksInB1ciI6ImJsb2JfaWQifX0=--ebd60925d1de886b9df1c447e61b9984acd9d959/filename","profile_url":"https://wefunder.com/mike.dowdle.1","endorsement_quote":"As a parent, I know how challenging it is to manage a child’s screen time. As a society, we are failing at keeping our kids safe from all the dangers looming beyond the screen. It’s a fact that smartphones and social media are causing insecurities, anxiety and depression among our youth. Pinwheel aims to solve this endemic problem by enabling parents to safely raise a tech-responsible child. Kids using an adult phone is a bad match, but a re-imagined experience like Pinwheel allows children to safely take advantage of education, skills mastery, music appreciation and more through a useful smartphone. Pinwheel is the brainchild of Dane Witbeck, an experienced entrepreneur who previously built and sold a successful tech business. He is also the parent of young children. After meeting Dane and learning about Pinwheel, I was hooked and immediately became an investor and Board member.","endorsement_name":"","investment_total":1750000,"investment_info":"Invested $500,000 this round \u0026 $1,250,000 previously","is_lead_investor":true,"related_urls":["https://wefunder.com/mike.dowdle.1"]}],"investor_memos":[],"tab_counts":{"posts":0,"ask_questions":21,"featured_investors":3,"faq_entries":5},"active_fundraises":[{"id":85689,"entity_id":"wefunder:fundraise:85689","state":"successful","offering_type":"4(a)(6)","funding_type":"note","structure":"convertible_note","security_type":"debt","currency":"USD","testing_the_waters":false,"min_purchase":250,"max_purchase":9,"funding_target":1235000.0,"minimum_target":"50000.0","maximum_target":"1235000.0","funding_started_at":"2023-09-08T19:33:06Z","funding_closed_at":"2024-02-05T15:58:11Z","auto_close_at":"2024-01-31T00:00:00Z"},{"id":85690,"entity_id":"wefunder:fundraise:85690","state":"successful","offering_type":"4(a)(6)","funding_type":"note","structure":"ttw","security_type":"","currency":"USD","testing_the_waters":true,"min_purchase":250,"max_purchase":9,"funding_target":1235000.0,"minimum_target":"50000.0","maximum_target":"1235000.0","funding_started_at":"2023-04-10T19:56:36Z"}],"latest_fundraise":{"id":85689,"entity_id":"wefunder:fundraise:85689","state":"successful","offering_type":"4(a)(6)","structure":"convertible_note","testing_the_waters":false,"can_invest_now":false,"funding_started_at":"2023-09-08T19:33:06Z","funding_closed_at":"2024-02-05T15:58:11Z","terms":{"eb":"$23M","nb":"$26M","txt":"valuation cap"}},"recent_posts":[],"q_and_a":[{"id":262378,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:262378","question":"As a Pinwheel parent, I am a big fan of the solution. I think your revenue forecasts are probably pretty accurate. What is missing is any explanation on a path to profitability. You more than doubled your revenue from '21 to '22, but you lost even more money in '22. Is there a point where you forecast to make money? How is profitability YTD?","author_name":"Pete Cook","votes":4,"created_at":"2023-09-15T14:25:55Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/pinwheel2023raise#question-262378","answers":[{"id":262463,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:262463","answer":"Pete, Great question! You are after my own heart, as I do believe that businesses should exist to make money. However, the general theory of venture capital is not a bad thing (that you burn money in order to grow). So anytime you are looking at a company burning money, the question should not only be \"how much money did they burn\", but \"how much growth did they achieve with that burn\" (imho). This is captured a number of ways, but one way would be the \"burn multiple\", as popularized by VC David Sacks. In this framework, you think of the burn rate as purchasing a certain amount of growth. A top tier company will be buying $1 of growth or better for every $1 of burn, whereas a bottom tier VC-backed company would be at greater than $4 of burn for every $1 of growth (and remember that less than 1% of any companies are investable by VC's, so we're already talking about the top of the heap in the startup world). This gets a little complicated, but in 2021, Pinwheel's net added revenue was $1.98M whereas burn was -$1.72M. The ratio is below 1 at .87! Very good, especially for an early company! In 2022, the net revenue added was $2.68M, whereas burn was -$1.96M, so the ratio dropped actually to .72 (getting better!) It wouldn't be possible to yet compare 2023 because our business is seasonal with holidays representing a large % of annual sales, but we project the number to continue to be elite! The question is not when can the company be profitable, it's when should the company become profitable (again imho). We could be profitable now, in fact. We would have to cut very important growth initiatives and largely freeze the product in place, and we don't see that as the best pathway. I can't say exactly when the company should move to a $0 cash burn (as it depends on future availability of capital markets and the growth opportunities that are in front of us), but I think it's at least 2 years away, and we are managing the business such that we can pull back to profitability at any time if we must. I'm very optimistic on the \"responsible and well-measured\" pathway for deployment of growth capital, and that is the school of thought to which I subscribe. This means I am not the type of founder who can burn massive amounts of capital at leisure with no commensurate growth attached and sleep well at night! Investors deserve better than that. I hope this long answer helps!","author_name":"Dane Witbeck","votes":2,"created_at":"2023-09-15T23:00:48Z"}]},{"id":262380,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:262380","question":"I've been a Pinwheel parent for about 15mos now and I'm quite satisfied with the parent experience. The scheduling, routines, contact control, and ability to see text history in real time is fantastic. That said, my eleven year old is not satisfied and I can't blame her. While the app boutique is quite extensive, the majority of what's available is not appealing. The games are primarily geared toward the early el/preschool crowd, and there seem to be countless religious, mindfulness, and paired product apps that are not applicable for us. There are also restrictions on which apps are made available based on if a browser is required for login (though this last point seems to be turning a corner with the recent addition of MyQ). The OS is marketed as growing with your child, but it's not hitting the mark in that regard. I do feel it's too young for her in it's current state. And to be honest, even my nine year old would be disappointed. Ultimately, she doesn't use the phone that much other than to be reachable, which is not having the desired effect of teaching healthy digital behaviors. To be clear, I believe in the company, the product, the intention, and I want to invest...but there is this piece of me that is reluctant because of what I've detailed above. What is planned to keep the older kids engaged, interested, and excited about their phones?","author_name":"Amanda Stover","votes":3,"created_at":"2023-09-15T15:13:09Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/pinwheel2023raise#question-262380","answers":[{"id":262464,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:262464","answer":"Amanda, thank you for being here with us over the last 15 months and trusting us with your child. I hear you on the \"growth with the child\" front. If you would, please see the answer to Summer Taylor below around content availability coming soon to aid in this regard. I would also mention our AI monitoring progress is strong, and we expect that to launch that before long as well to further help you! If you have more feedback, please reach out to me at firstname at our domain (founders emails are easy to guess) :)","author_name":"Dane Witbeck","votes":1,"created_at":"2023-09-15T23:06:49Z"}]},{"id":264153,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:264153","question":"Hi, a few questions: 1. What is your subscriber retention rate after 6 months? I would think it should be high due to the upfront cost of the phone. 2. Can you provide more details on what the 41% of marketing funds will be spent on? 3. What are your primary methods for acquiring customers? For online advertising, what's the cost of acquisition? Thanks!","author_name":"Will Shafer","votes":2,"created_at":"2023-10-04T22:00:03Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/pinwheel2023raise#question-264153","answers":[{"id":265478,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:265478","answer":"Hi Will, The retention after 1 month is around 96% as a few people try and don't continue. Then after 6 months its still at 91%. We're building our premier partners program with higher level influencers. You can see how these partners really use the product with their kids and authentically recommend us: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CvX4Bc-pWmt/?igshid=NzZhOTFlYzFmZQ== We acquire customers through a variety of means including online advertising, a network of affiliates, customers sharing us through word of mouth, premier influencer partners (see above), Amazon.com, and partnerships like this: https://www.usmobile.com/pinwheel-phone-plansv I hope this helps!","author_name":"Dane Witbeck","votes":0,"created_at":"2023-10-13T03:17:19Z"}]},{"id":262391,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:262391","question":"Hi, As a parent using pinwheel for a teen, I am considering investing not only for the financial opportunity, but also to benefit my teen. Approximately what percentage of the capital you raise with Wefunder will be used to continue growing the variety of apps that are designed to appeal to teens? (I'd like to know if my investment would contribute toward more choices (and/or improvement of the available apps) for her and my soon to be teen son.)","author_name":"Summer Taylor","votes":2,"created_at":"2023-09-15T16:35:25Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/pinwheel2023raise#question-262391","answers":[{"id":262456,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:262456","answer":"Summer, this is a great question! We have had many parents tell us they value that Pinwheel \"holds the line\" on many apps, especially \"no social media\". However, certainly parents also want to have more freedom in choosing apps for their children (especially later teens). Because we believe that 1. parents are the ultimate decision-makers for their kids, 2. boundaries are paradoxically freeing and 3. parents are trying to raise kids that can \"handle\" personal technology completely solo by 18, we are working on a \"graduation level\" of the Pinwheel system where parents/teens WILL be able to access the vast majority of the Play Store and decide which apps are right more freely. We seek to do this in a way that helps our parents complete the \"job to be done\" of raising an adult that is not controlled by their personal tech. I can't say more about the specifics here without giving away competitive information. This funding will certainly be helpful here though!","author_name":"Dane Witbeck","votes":2,"created_at":"2023-09-15T22:00:28Z"}]},{"id":275859,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:275859","question":"Hi Dane, Despite my best efforts, I missed out on Pinwheel during this round of investment!! Will there be another opportunity for we retail investors to invest in your fantastic company???","author_name":"Tom Wright","votes":1,"created_at":"2024-02-09T01:19:11Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/pinwheel2023raise#question-275859","answers":[{"id":275921,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:275921","answer":"Hi Tom, that is certainly a possibility! I can't say for sure at this point, but we did enjoy working with the community of fans, customers, and startup enthusiasts. Keep an eye out! Thanks for your comment!","author_name":"Dane Witbeck","votes":0,"created_at":"2024-02-09T21:08:40Z"}]},{"id":273002,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:273002","question":"Hi there, just curious if you met your revenue target for 2023 now that we're into the new year? Thanks","author_name":"Dylan Cain","votes":1,"created_at":"2024-01-03T19:08:22Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/pinwheel2023raise#question-273002","answers":[{"id":274178,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:274178","answer":"Hi, we are at $251k in MRR (a bit over $3M in ARR)!","author_name":"Dane Witbeck","votes":0,"created_at":"2024-01-18T19:23:20Z"}]},{"id":269348,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:269348","question":"Hi. To clarify the below answer, your current MRR in software recurring is $229k? So over $2.5m in ARR? And how much revenue do you get from hardware phone resales? About many subscribers do you currently have? Thanks","author_name":"Yosef  Hertz","votes":1,"created_at":"2023-11-17T03:34:41Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/pinwheel2023raise#question-269348","answers":[{"id":274177,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:274177","answer":"Hi, we are at $251K MRR now (over $3M). We have around 16k active kids! In December, for example, we added $280k in hardware revenue. Thanks!","author_name":"Dane Witbeck","votes":0,"created_at":"2024-01-18T19:22:58Z"}]},{"id":265848,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:265848","question":"Hi. Are you on pace for $6m in sales in 2023? What are sales YTD or as recent as possible? What is the current subscription revenue? Did the lead investor invest at EOY 2022? Are previous investors participating in the current round? If not, why not and why crowdfunding? Thanks","author_name":"Yosef  Hertz","votes":1,"created_at":"2023-10-17T22:39:12Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/pinwheel2023raise#question-265848","answers":[{"id":265936,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:265936","answer":"Thank you for your support Yosef, I saw you invested in the round. We're just over $4M at present and expect to hit $5.5-$6M depending on how the holidays shape up. Yes on the lead investor investing end of last year. They have participated in the round as verified here through Wefunder, and have invested the max their charter allows to ensure enough diversification required inside of their fund! On why crowdfunding - consumer companies receive benefit from the marketing exercise as well as funding for growth! I also addressed this in the main text on the page \"We are passionate about building Pinwheel with real parents who care, and this community round is an excellent way to materialize that commitment. We’re doing this because the dynamics of the community around Pinwheel change for the better when the people who are using it for their children's benefit are also participating owners of it. This not only provides good for our company, but it also presents an opportunity for you to participate in the benefits —including the financial upside.\"","author_name":"Dane Witbeck","votes":1,"created_at":"2023-10-18T16:50:55Z"}]},{"id":262385,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:262385","question":"Is there interest paid on these convertible notes, and if so, what %?","author_name":"Chad Goebert","votes":1,"created_at":"2023-09-15T16:06:44Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/pinwheel2023raise#question-262385","answers":[{"id":262649,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:262649","answer":"There’s an 8% interest rate on the Note (and $23M / $26M cap with a 20% discount rate)","author_name":"Dane Witbeck","votes":0,"created_at":"2023-09-18T14:46:15Z"}]},{"id":333056,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:333056","question":"Where may I see a end of year financial statement for 2026?","author_name":"Isaac Jacobson","votes":0,"created_at":"2026-05-05T22:32:26Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/pinwheel2023raise#question-333056","answers":[]},{"id":323371,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:323371","question":"Why so few updates on here? I invested 2 years ago and have heard nothing.","author_name":"Grow Wild","votes":0,"created_at":"2026-01-20T21:44:20Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/pinwheel2023raise#question-323371","answers":[]},{"id":277269,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:277269","question":"How do we apply the Pinwheel discount to our Pinwheel account for investing here?","author_name":"Sarah Peter","votes":0,"created_at":"2024-02-25T19:39:12Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/pinwheel2023raise#question-277269","answers":[]},{"id":275448,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:275448","question":"Hi, is it still possible to invest ?","author_name":"Hugo BN","votes":0,"created_at":"2024-02-05T13:13:44Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/pinwheel2023raise#question-275448","answers":[]},{"id":275447,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:275447","question":"Investing requires a reservation that I don't have. Will I be able to invest on the platform?","author_name":"Gabriel Jarrosson","votes":0,"created_at":"2024-02-05T12:32:43Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/pinwheel2023raise#question-275447","answers":[{"id":275467,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:275467","answer":"Hi Gabriel, Thank you for your interest, but our crowdfunding campaign ended on January 31st, 2024. I'm sorry we can't partner up in this way on this campaign, but the opportunity may come up again in the future. Best Regards, Dane Witbeck","author_name":"Dane Witbeck","votes":0,"created_at":"2024-02-05T16:55:25Z"}]},{"id":274894,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:274894","question":"Hi Dane, Thank you for posting 2023 revenue and MRR numbers in below comments. As the raise is about to close, a couple questions. You said in response to my comment that you can't say much about iOS at this time. What is the meaning for this phrase from the description: \"Parents have their own access to parental guidance tools on iOS, Android, and web to monitor and provide guidance to their kids.\" then? What are the tools on iOS / web? I understand that the majority (or all) of your current revenue is from hardware / Android, but I want to know what the web / iOS portion of that statement entails. Also, since understandably Android has fewer restrictions for you guys to do what you do, are there any plans to do this outside the USA (or are you already doing this)? I ask since iOS has slightly larger market share in the USA (and children are much more likely to want an iPhone), but this is different worldwide. Thanks, and looking forward to your response!","author_name":"Mykyta Solonko","votes":0,"created_at":"2024-01-28T03:24:43Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/pinwheel2023raise#question-274894","answers":[{"id":274952,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:274952","answer":"Thank you for the questions. We do have an iOS app **for parents** that works great on iPhone. So that is what I was referring to in the quoted section you mentioned. Yes! International expansion is starting this year in 2024! We'll be in Canada by Q2 and continue to other countries thereafter!","author_name":"Dane Witbeck","votes":2,"created_at":"2024-01-29T16:23:59Z"}]},{"id":274808,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:274808","question":"Hi Dave, as the rounds is closing can you update 1. Current MRR? 2. Revenue (unaudited) for 2023? Also, what are your plans for a new institutional round? This WF round doesn’t seem to have raised that much, how much capital will you need and for what growth? Thanks","author_name":"Yosef  Hertz","votes":0,"created_at":"2024-01-26T20:48:58Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/pinwheel2023raise#question-274808","answers":[{"id":274823,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:274823","answer":"Hi Yosef, we had $251K in software revenue for December 2023, which equates to just over $3M in ARR. We did this wefunder round to bring the community the opportunity to participate in the upside. Many \"successful\" fund raises will spend half their raise on ads driving random supporters from FB etc, we were never going to do that as it doesn't make financial sense and those investors aren't here for the mission. We're very happy with the participation from the community and the opportunity we've been able to provide to those who know us best to be on this journey with us! We did 5.3m in rev in 2023, with our projections on hardware revenue down from offering a high growth \"free phone\" offer at Christmas, which penciled out very well and was the right call. As far as additional capital raises, we will add additional capital this year! We also plan to break even as a business by the end of 2024, meaning capital raises wouldn't be necessary after we hit that milestone! Thanks!","author_name":"Dane Witbeck","votes":1,"created_at":"2024-01-27T00:34:58Z"}]},{"id":272590,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:272590","question":"Hi Dane, Would love a post-holiday-season financial update once that is ready. It is great that 16% of your sales now come from Amazon. Some of your listings have pretty low ratings on Amazon (3/5 stars), but the complaints seem to be mostly due to devices themselves breaking quickly. Do you have any insights if that has anything to do with the OS? If it's purely a hardware issue, of course Pinwheel isn't responsible. Also, can you elaborate more on your competition? For the companies that have \"static feature phones\", how difficult is it for them to do what you guys do, ie make their phones also grow as the child grows? Lastly, you mention in the overview that you have some iOS tools as well. What are these tools? Seems like the phones themselves are all android, and in the USA at least, iOS have a bigger market share than Android at this point, so would be good to hear from you what developments are taking place on the iOS front. Otherwise, very impressive revenue and growth! Happy holidays! Mykyta","author_name":"Mykyta Solonko","votes":0,"created_at":"2023-12-25T03:56:32Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/pinwheel2023raise#question-272590","answers":[{"id":272810,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:272810","answer":"Thanks, I will post an update in January as the books close. We had a great holiday season :) Amazon has the slim and the plus. The Plus is rated higher than the Slim, but both have very few reviews. Amazon makes it very difficult to build reviews quickly. The hardware does seem to be the issue. You can find statistically significant reviews on Google here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/YmeeTMb1tTyesWwD9 While we have reviewed over 1,200 apps and made them available on Pinwheel, Gabb and Troomi have reviewed only a couple of hundred. So we are 5-6 x more productive on that front than our competitors. In addition we continue to add more features to grow with the child, and I would say we are 2 years ahead due to our focus. On iOS no company can create the same level of features as we have on Android due to Apple's policies and restrictions on third parties. I can't say much more about iOS at this time.","author_name":"Dane Witbeck","votes":1,"created_at":"2023-12-29T16:01:52Z"}]},{"id":268007,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:268007","question":"If our funds have been transferred, at what point are we able to use the investor perks?","author_name":"Shaina Saufley","votes":0,"created_at":"2023-11-03T14:42:43Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/pinwheel2023raise#question-268007","answers":[{"id":268015,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:268015","answer":"You're welcome to use them now. Please reach out to support@pinwheel.com","author_name":"Dane Witbeck","votes":0,"created_at":"2023-11-03T15:13:47Z"}]},{"id":265953,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:265953","question":"Thanks for feedback below Dane. One follow-up, what is the current MRR/subscription revenue?","author_name":"Yosef  Hertz","votes":0,"created_at":"2023-10-18T18:43:00Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/pinwheel2023raise#question-265953","answers":[{"id":265964,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:265964","answer":"$229,000 in software recurring revenue.","author_name":"Dane Witbeck","votes":0,"created_at":"2023-10-18T19:43:49Z"}]},{"id":262354,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:262354","question":"Hi Dane, Went through a few online reviews and one issue I saw a few times is around the difficulty to connect with a Google Family Link account. Have you addressed this? Is it even addressable? Thank you.","author_name":"Senitiki Rokocakau","votes":0,"created_at":"2023-09-15T09:39:30Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/pinwheel2023raise#question-262354","answers":[{"id":262454,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:262454","answer":"Hi Senitiki, This is the best and latest information on the topic! https://support.pinwheel.com/hc/en-us/articles/16888152488475-Google-Family-Link-and-Pinwheel","author_name":"Dane Witbeck","votes":1,"created_at":"2023-09-15T21:43:11Z"}]},{"id":262114,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:262114","question":"Hello! Interesting company and thanks for the opportunity to invest. A few questions: 1) What has to go right for you to hit $100mm in annual revenue? 2) What is your current monthly revenue and how has it trended over the last few months and YoY? I really appreciate your time. Thank you.","author_name":"Senitiki Rokocakau","votes":0,"created_at":"2023-09-13T20:39:18Z","canonical_url":"https://wefunder.com/pinwheel2023raise#question-262114","answers":[{"id":262322,"entity_id":"wefunder:comment:262322","answer":"Thanks for the questions Senitiki! 1) Before Pinwheel reaches $100M in revenue (~14x growth), we will add distribution channels so customers can find us in more places, for example, retail stores. Additionally we will expand internationally to help kids and families outside of the United States. :) 2) In August 2023 we notched $604,000 in revenue, and $223,000 of that was from our software subscriptions (up 40.6% YoY from August 2022). July revenue was $504K and June revenue was $479K. Let's gooo!!! I hope that helps :) Regards, Dane Witbeck","author_name":"Dane Witbeck","votes":1,"created_at":"2023-09-15T03:10:13Z"}]}],"faq":[{"question":"Hello! Interesting company and thanks for the opportunity to invest. A few questions: 1) What has to go right for you to hit $100mm in annual revenue? 2) What is your current monthly revenue and how has it trended over the last few months and YoY? I really appreciate your time...","answer":"Thanks for the questions Senitiki! 1) Before Pinwheel reaches $100M in revenue (~14x growth), we will add distribution channels so customers can find us in more places, for example, retail stores. Additionally we will expand internationally to help kids and families outside of the United States. :) 2) In August 2023 we notched $604,000 in revenue, and $223,000 of that was from our software subscriptions (up 40.6% YoY from August 2022). July revenue was $504K and June revenue was $479K. Let's ..."},{"question":"Hi Dane, Went through a few online reviews and one issue I saw a few times is around the difficulty to connect with a Google Family Link account. Have you addressed this? Is it even addressable? Thank you.","answer":"Hi Senitiki, This is the best and latest information on the topic! https://support.pinwheel.com/hc/en-us/articles/16888152488475-Google-Family-Link-and-Pinwheel"},{"question":"As a Pinwheel parent, I am a big fan of the solution. I think your revenue forecasts are probably pretty accurate. What is missing is any explanation on a path to profitability. You more than doubled your revenue from '21 to '22, but you lost even more money in '22. Is there a...","answer":"Pete, Great question! You are after my own heart, as I do believe that businesses should exist to make money. However, the general theory of venture capital is not a bad thing (that you burn money in order to grow). So anytime you are looking at a company burning money, the question should not only be \"how much money did they burn\", but \"how much growth did they achieve with that burn\" (imho). This is captured a number of ways, but one way would be the \"burn multiple\", as popularized by VC Da..."},{"question":"I've been a Pinwheel parent for about 15mos now and I'm quite satisfied with the parent experience. The scheduling, routines, contact control, and ability to see text history in real time is fantastic. That said, my eleven year old is not satisfied and I can't blame her. While...","answer":"Amanda, thank you for being here with us over the last 15 months and trusting us with your child. I hear you on the \"growth with the child\" front. If you would, please see the answer to Summer Taylor below around content availability coming soon to aid in this regard. I would also mention our AI monitoring progress is strong, and we expect that to launch that before long as well to further help you! If you have more feedback, please reach out to me at firstname at our domain (founders emails ..."},{"question":"Is there interest paid on these convertible notes, and if so, what %?","answer":"There’s an 8% interest rate on the Note (and $23M / $26M cap with a 20% discount rate)"}]}}}