IRVINE — Rokform’s roots can be traced back to the golf course, where co-founder Jeff Whitten kept damaging or losing his cell phone.
“I tested some off-the-shelf magnets by sticking my phone to a golf cart over 18 holes, and the idea was born,” Whitten said.
Whitten founded Rokform in 2010 to design protective phone cases. Ten years later, the Irvine-based firm entered the mobile-device charging accessories market—a move Whitten called “a natural extension of what we were already building.”
“Our customers were already trusting us to protect and mount their devices, so giving them a way to keep those devices powered within the same ecosystem just made sense,” Whitten told the Business Journal.
The company last month launched five power accessories for phones, tablets and laptops. These devices will expand on Rokform’s “charging ecosystem” that’s “designed to seamlessly work together,” Whitten said.
The new charging products keep “devices powered at their desk, in their car, or halfway around the world,” he said.
Whitten says the products are used by cyclists, motorcyclists, golfers, first responders and military “who need more than a basic phone case.”
Powered Up Across the World
Rokform’s newest product launch, introduced in March, is designed for portability and speed. The launch includes a travel kit, a three-in-one wireless charger and a car mount.
The PowerTrip Travel Charger Kit includes a portable power bank that can supply 5,000 milliamperes, a unit used to measure the amount of electrical charge a phone battery can store, a 65-watt wall charger and international plug adapters for the U.K., EU and Australia.
The three-in-one foldable wireless charger powers an iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods simultaneously. The device delivers up to 15 watts.
The fully adjustable Car Screen Phone Mount Charger is designed for large center screens, such as Teslas, mounting the phone above the screen with a 15-watt wireless charger.
Rokform’s wireless chargers work with MagSafe-compatible magnets.
The other two devices are a 65-watt wall charger with three ports and a 30-watt dual USB-C car charger.
The devices range from $19.99 to $99.99.
An Eight-Year-Old Entrepreneur
Whitten says he’s “been an entrepreneur of sort” since he was eight years old.
“Paper routes, selling candy out of my backpack, building and selling furniture in high school.”
After high school, he worked in construction and then as a mechanic for Two Brothers Racing, which led him to co-own the company. He sold his ownership stake in 2016 to focus on Rokform.
Since then, Rokform has been a 100% internally funded company.
Some of Rokform’s other products include the Roklock twist-lock system and Magmax magnets, technologies that give its cases and mounts a strong grip on the device.
“What I’m most proud of is our gritty team,” Whitten said. “We’re a small but highly driven group that has built this company from the ground up, and everyone has clear ownership and is aligned in the same direction.
“That kind of alignment is rare, and it’s a big reason we’ve earned thousands of loyal, repeat customers who come back year after year—it means everything to us.”
