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May 21, 2024

Ideate & Explore Grant Recipient – Sasha Ries, Marlon Grandy and James Lau for their venture ScreenLess

With a shared vision to reduce screen time and combat phone addiction, Sasha Ries, Marlon Grandy, and James Lau’s journey is as inspiring as it is instructive.

Sasha Ries, born in San Francisco and raised in Reno, Nevada, began his academic journey at Colby College during the tumultuous COVID-19 pandemic. His involvement in community activities like COOT and student government shaped his understanding of leadership and collaboration. Sasha’s passion for innovation led him to a dual degree program at Dartmouth, where he studied engineering for a year before returning to Colby. 

Marlon Grandy, a programmer and close friend of Sasha, played a crucial role in the inception of their startup. Marlon’s knack for coding cool projects for fun sparked the initial idea. “Marlon coded this really cool idea,” Sasha recalls, “and we all wanted to have a startup someday.” This shared ambition laid the groundwork for their entrepreneurial journey. 

James Lau, a fellow senior at Colby majoring in biology with a concentration in neuroscience and minoring in computer science, joined the team during his senior spring. After taking the MCAT, James found himself with more free time and was eager to dive into a new project. Marlon approached him with the idea, and James quickly became an integral part of the team.

Their journey began with several iterations and pivots. Their first project, Dialed, was inspired by sports psychology and aimed to mimic guided imagery techniques to improve athletic performance. Despite making significant progress, they realized that none of them were athletes, which raised questions about the product’s relevance. Next came Mindful Earth, a platform featuring sleep stories and meditation content to support conservation efforts. Although a noble idea, they struggled to solve a real problem in the saturated meditation market. “We didn’t talk to customers enough,” James admits, “and that was our biggest lesson.”

The pivotal moment came when they decided to address a problem they all personally experienced: phone addiction. This led to the birth of ScreenLess, an app designed to reduce screen time by addressing the root causes of excessive phone use, such as mindless scrolling and addiction to certain apps.

“People often scroll on their phones out of boredom or to procrastinate,” Sasha explains. “Our challenge is to remind people of what they’d rather be doing and facilitate that motivation internally.” Unlike other screen-reducing apps that rely on negative reinforcement, ScreenLess sets itself apart by leveraging users’ intrinsic motivation. Rather than imposing strict limits or punitive measures, the app encourages users to reflect on their personal goals and desires, helping them recognize that their time could be better spent on activities that truly matter to them. This positive and empowering approach aims to create a sustainable habit change by fostering a deeper, self-driven motivation to reduce screen time.

The journey hasn’t been without its challenges. Developing a method to combat phone addiction is complex, and the market for screen-reducing apps is crowded. However, the team remains undeterred. “We’re working on a novel way to address it,” Sasha says, emphasizing their commitment to thorough customer discovery and iterative testing.

Looking ahead, the team has ambitious plans. James and Marlon intend to work on the project over the summer, conducting more customer interviews and building a minimum viable product (MVP). “In the next few months, we’ll test our ideas and refine our approach,” James says. They also plan to apply to accelerators to further develop their startup.

Reflecting on their journey, the founders credit their success to their motivation, compatibility, and willingness to learn from their mistakes. “We put in a lot of effort and didn’t give up,” Sasha notes. They emphasize the importance of having a strong, cohesive team and the resilience to navigate the ups and downs of entrepreneurship.

Their advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is clear: talk to customers early and often, and don’t be afraid to pivot. “A cool idea isn’t enough,” James stresses. “You need to solve a real problem.” By staying focused on customer needs and continuously iterating on their product, Sasha, Marlon, and James are well on their way to making ScreenLess a success.

As they continue to evolve their product, the founders remain committed to their mission of helping people reduce screen time and improve their quality of life.

Interview by Joshua Varghese ’25

 

Update on James, Marlon and Sasha since they received the Ideate & Explore Grant:

They also received the Compagna-Sennett Iterate & Expand Grant qualifying their venture to competed in the Halloran Lab 40K Venture Showcase Pitch Competition.