I created a screen-free streaming music device. I aimed it at runners, but it took off with kids instead.

• Anthon Mendelson is the founder of Mighty, a screen-free streaming device company.

• He created the device for athletes and runners like himself, but it became a hit with parents.

• He believes parents love it because it fosters independence while still giving them control.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Anthony Mendelson. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I've always had a knack for technology and computers, and was building computers at a young age. I've worked in tech throughout my career. A lot of my foundation was at Google, but it wasn't my end goal; I've always wanted to be an entrepreneur and start something from scratch.

I've always loved music and running too. I had been using the iPod Shuffle for years on runs, but when I switched to Spotify, it was no longer supported, so I had to use my phone instead.

My phone broke while running

In 2016, I broke my phone on a run; it was the second time I had done that. I decided there had to be a better way. So, I conceptualized it with some engineer friends, and we launched a Kickstarter campaign for Mighty, a device that lets you stream music on the go without your phone or an internet connection.

You download the music from your streaming service to the Mighty device. You don't need your phone, WiFi, or any sort of connection. It's small, a little bit bigger than a quarter, and you can clip it onto your hip or anywhere on your body, and off you go. We had $1 million in pre-orders when we launched in 2017.

I didn't create it for kids, but it has taken off with parents

I don't have kids, and the original product had nothing to do with kids. We started it as a product for runners and commuters. But organically, we've seen it grow with parents. Over half of our users are kids now, so we've pivoted into that market. We've seen great growth over the past two years as more parents think about the dangers of screen time for their kids.

Parents tell me they like having just enough control while still allowing their kids to be independent. They can decide what they want on the app as a parent and include their kid in those choices.

The Mighty Kids device is actually the same as the regular Mighty; we have not created a brand-new product specifically for kids. But we do have experiences in the app tailored to kids, and partnerships on the content side for kids, such as with Disney.

A big part of our business is sleepaway camp, for kids 6 to 16. Many sleepaway camps do not allow screens, and we partner with some to be their preferred device for music. Kids listen to music on Mighty devices independently, or they'll go out to the lake with a speaker and connect that way.

It's starting to catch on a bit more at some schools, such as Montessori schools, but it's a little more complicated. But as they start taking phones away from older kids, this could be a lifeline for kids who need stimulation or learn by listening.

We're tweaking our product for a new offering that could reach more kids

We've heard from parents that they want something a bit larger that's harder to lose, so we're working on a product that's more tailored to that. It's a similar stand-alone player with slightly larger buttons, and it won't be clip-on by default. You can hold it in your hand, put it in your pocket, or clip it on using an accessory.