A University of Maryland senior has started a local business that sells cardholders that stick to the back of cell phones.

Sam Feldman, the computer science major who founded CardBuddy, created the company as a solo project last year after seeing the need for plastic cardholders without logos on them.

“About a year ago, I noticed that tons of students had plastic card holders that stick onto a phone,” Feldman said. “They all had company logos on them, so I thought I’d try and sell one without a logo. I located a manufacturer, ordered a few hundred and listed them on Amazon.”  

Now, he fulfills about 200 orders a week.

CardBuddy Distribution Map

“It really comes in handy for me when I’m bringing a student ID to the gym, going on a run and when I don’t want to carry a wallet when I go out on the weekends,” Feldman said.

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Feldman added, “Eventually, I began to wonder why an upscale card holder didn’t exist. I found several manufacturers, and began to develop a leather product, the CardBuddy Deluxe.”

Starting Monday, a new upscale leather version of the product is set to launch on Kickstarter. Feldman has worked with three manufacturers, produced 14 prototypes and made over 60 changes to the product before finalizing it. It took a year to perfect.

“I also have the ability to laser engrave custom CardBuddy Deluxes, and someone could even get the Maryland flag pattern on it,” Feldman said.

The first 100 leather cardholders will sell for a special price of $15, instead of the normal $20.

One cool feature is that a Metro card can be scanned while inside of the pouch. There are four colors available to order: red, black, white and brown. Shipping is free and if you pledge $35 you not only get a CardBuddy Deluxe, but also a CardBuddy T-shirt or your name engraved onto the cardholder. If you pledge $100 or more to Kickstarter, your face can be engraved into the cardholder.

Jennifer Zhang, a freshman physiology and neurobiology major, said she would consider upgrading her plastic cardholder to a CardBuddy Deluxe.

“They are really convenient to use as college students,” she said.

The CardBuddy Deluxe is available for purchase here.

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