What Brick does

Brick LLC is a privately held US digital-wellness company that sells a battery-free, NFC-enabled physical device ("the Brick") paired with a companion iOS and Android app. The hardware acts as a physical key: users select which apps to block within the app, then tap their phone against the device to enable blocking, and must physically tap again to unbrick. The product is positioned around creating physical friction to defeat the easy bypass of software-only screen-time controls, with features including custom modes (Work, Family Time, Sleep, Study, Creative Time), strict mode to prevent workarounds, smart scheduling, emergency unbrick allowances, focus analytics, and multi-device support. Architecture is straightforward: an NFC tag with no battery or charging requirement, plus Bluetooth connectivity to the mobile app for configuration and telemetry.

The company operates a direct-to-consumer e-commerce model at getbrick.com with no subscription fees — the $59 device (often discounted to $44.25–$47.20 during promotional periods) includes free lifetime app access. Distribution extends through Amazon, iOS App Store, and Google Play, with HSA/FSA eligibility and partner-verified discounts via StudentBeans and ID.me. The company primarily targets Gen Z and younger millennials concerned about doomscrolling, alongside students, remote workers, parents managing teen screen time, and ADHD users. Founded in 2023 by TJ Driver and Zach Nasgowitz out of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Brick appears bootstrapped with no disclosed institutional funding, two identified co-founders, a careers page, and a TikTok social presence. Strategic partnerships include a 2026 collaboration with Pure Leaf (Pepsi Lipton) and an Olympic-athlete endorsement campaign, while 35,000+ 5-star reviews and coverage in 111 articles across WSJ, NYT, Vogue, TechCrunch, CNN, and the Financial Times indicate strong earned-media traction for the category.

Name

Brick

Legal name

Brick LLC

Website

https://getbrick.app

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Brick LLC sells a battery-free NFC physical device paired with an iOS and Android app that blocks distracting smartphone apps until users tap the device. It targets Gen Z and younger millennials with digital-wellness needs via D2C e-commerce and Amazon, with no subscription fee.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Consumer Electronics (Digital Wellness Hardware)

akta.pro primary industry

Mobile Application Security (App Shielding, Anti-Tamper) (HDADACAL)

Keywords

• Digital wellness device
• App blocking hardware
• Screen time control
• Smartphone focus tool
• Physical productivity device

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Hardware Device Sales: One-time purchase of the physical Brick NFC-enabled device with lifetime app access included. No subscription fees ever. Primary revenue stream from direct consumer hardware sales. The company also offers volume discounts for 2+ units.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Brick sells a physical NFC-enabled device called "The Brick" that blocks selected distracting apps on a paired smartphone until the user physically taps the phone against the device. A companion Brick App for iOS and Android handles blocking schedules, app selection, focus tracking, and supports both Strict and Easy modes.

Product overview

Brick offers a single unified product consisting of The Brick (a physical NFC-enabled hardware device) paired with the Brick mobile app (available for iOS and Android). The hardware device acts as a physical key that must be present to unlock blocked apps, while the companion app provides the software controls for customizing blocking preferences, creating modes, and tracking usage. The offering is sold as a one-time hardware purchase with free lifetime app access and no subscription fees.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Brick

Quantifiable outcome

• 99% of users report reducing screen time
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Pure Leaf (Pepsi Lipton Tea Partnership)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 28 April 2026Brick partnered with Pure Leaf for the launch of Pure Leaf Mental Focus Iced Tea, the brand's first functional iced tea line. The partnership included a co-created Mental Focus Dock giveaway and targeted the growing functional beverage market, with over 80% of Americans seeking ways to unplug from digital distractions.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Freedom.to: Freedom is a cross-device app/site blocker (mobile + desktop) with focus sessions and locked modes that prevent easy override, directly comparable to Brick's scheduled app-blocking and strict-mode behavior.
• Forest: Forest is a focus app that gamifies staying off the phone by growing a virtual tree during focus sessions, addressing the same doomscrolling and study-focus use cases Brick targets for students and remote workers.
• Opal: Opal is a direct competitor in the digital-wellness/focus app space for iOS and Android, offering app and website blocking, focus sessions, and friction-based unlock delays — overlapping heavily with Brick's functionality.
• Cold Turkey: Cold Turkey is a software-based blocker for apps and websites with strict lock modes that prevent uninstallation during sessions — the same bypass-prevention mechanism Brick implements through its physical puck.
• One Sec: One Sec is a mobile app that forces users to wait and take a breath before opening distracting apps, using a friction/intentional-delay model comparable to Brick's physical-tap friction approach.

Broad incumbents

• Punkt: Punkt designs premium minimalist phones and digital-wellness accessories aimed at consumers seeking to disconnect — overlapping with Brick on the digital-detox positioning and premium consumer hardware niche.
• Light Phone: Light Phone sells minimalist secondary phones designed to remove distracting apps entirely, addressing the same digital-detox/wellness need as Brick via a different (hardware substitution) approach.
• Google Digital Wellbeing: Google Digital Wellbeing is the native Android equivalent to Apple Screen Time, offering focus mode, app timers, and bedtime schedules — a platform incumbent whose improvements directly threaten Brick's value proposition.
• Apple Screen Time: Apple's built-in Screen Time provides app limits, downtime, and content restrictions across all iOS devices — the platform-level incumbent that Brick's physical-friction approach explicitly differentiates against.

Emerging players

• Bepresent: Bepresent is an emerging digital-wellness app for screen-time tracking and intentional phone use, representing a newer entrant overlapping with Brick's app-based habit-building and focus-insights features.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• TikToktiktok.com/@brick
• Xx.com/livebricked
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/getbrick

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Brick