Chirp Family is an early stage deep-tech/AI startup dedicated to protecting children online by providing Chirp enabled devices with built-in child protection software. This innovative technology filters internet content for offensive material and alerts parents to potential dangers. Chirp is developing embedded child-protection software for smartphones that detects and blocks cyberbullying, grooming and suicide/self-harm content in messaging apps, including encrypted messages. The company was founded by Rena Maycock in 2018 and has since been developing a world-class management team and board of advisors; building relationships with global child-protection stakeholders; engaging with customers and securing partnerships with world-renowned experts in child-protection and bringing its solution to prototype stage to attract the requisite funding to fully develop its market-ready solution. Seeing a gap in the market for a product that helps parents to protect their children from harmful messages, particularly in encrypted apps, Rena came up with the game changing idea of a filter at kernel level of a device. Chirp's goals are closely aligned with the Digital Services Act and can help contribute to Age Assurance and filtering encrypted messages. Chirp was awarded the highly competitive Disruptive Technology Innovation Fund, a €2.8M non-dilutive grant towards R&D costs of developing the Chirp solution. In May 2023, Chirp raised a record-breaking first raise of €1.67M from private investors in co-funding. The company is currently working alongside the Anti Bullying Centre at DCU & UNESCO's Chair for the prevention of bullying in schools and cyberspace to develop the Chirp solution with utmost regard to privacy, ethics and children's rights. Chirp will be launching to market in 2025, with the aim of protecting 15 million children within 5 years. We are all aware of the extremely worrying trends in the areas of cyberbullying, grooming and cybercrime, particularly as they pertain to young people - Chirp will offer a comprehensive and robust solution. Chirp's mission is to become the machine-standard parental control available globally on all computing devices and to all children.
Why work with us
Chirp’s growth to date is based on our unique, ground-breaking technology which addresses the dangers posed to children by smartphone use including cyberbullying, grooming & exposure to harmful content. Chirp is child-protection software for smartphones that is built into the Operating System of the device. This OS modification includes real-time detection of harmful language in encrypted apps but also an innovative camera intercept at app and gallery level which identifies nude imagery & stops it attaching to a message-this stops children from sending nude images and interrupts grooming attempts at the crucial tipping point. Our patented software can scan ALL data both entering and leaving the device, even encrypted messaging apps like WhatsApp. Using AI (NLP), Chirp can detect and block harmful content & send alerts to parents if there is an imminent threat to their child. Chirp was awarded the highly competitive DTIF grant of €2.8M which is judged by the same panel of experts as the EU’s Horizon Europe programme-these judges agreed that Chirp is indeed ‘Disruptive’, ‘Innovative’ and capable of rapid global scale because there is no other embedded technology available for parents and a robust competitive analysis revealed that the only other alternatives for parents are apps which lack the technical ability to detect/block user-generated content. Furthermore, Chirp’s innovation is underpinned by endorsement by UNESCO & is independently verified by the fact Tier 1 Telco’s and OEM’s are so interested in including the service as a key component in their suite of child-protection measures
