By Abbey Cannan
Noosa founded startup ScreenCoach has received $671,500 in a latest round of government funding, bringing the total program backing to $1million.
The startup that helps families manage their childrens’ mobile device screen time was co-founded by Noosa father Gary Borham.
Gary said they were ecstatic to have received the funding for the device which they’ve been developing since 2019.
“The whole idea started at a barbecue at my place. We had a bunch of parents complaining about their kids on screens and how hard it is to get them to help around the home and get more active,“ he said.
“We want families to work together to face the issue with this device. The success of ScreenCoach is the fact that kids drive it.“
The new funding, dollar-matched by local and international investment, will be used to drive ScreenCoach towards rapid commercialisation and scale, with a private Beta launch kicking off in July and an anticipated nationwide app store launch in December.
Childrens’ time spent on devices has become a pressing health concern of national and global importance, with related health concerns ranging from increasing obesity from sedentary lifestyles, increased mental illness directly linked with technology overuse and a startling emergence of ‘digital dementia’ in children.
ScreenCoach’s simple, gamified reward system sees children and teens earn their screen time on devices once they complete pre-set activities such as homework, housework and hobbies.
By letting children self-manage their own tasks, the app alleviates a common challenge in modern parenting: getting kids’ eyes unglued from screens and focussed on other activities without having to constantly ask.
Gary said a key for other Noosa tech entrepreneurs to succeed was to connect with local groups.
“We worked closely with Gary Swanepoel and all of the team at the Startup Precinct in Noosa Junction. We had some great relationships with Chris Bowden and the guys at the Peregian Digital Hub.
“The Noosa Council was also a great help. There are grants out there but they do take a lot of time.
“We’re all building our parachutes as they fall.“
Gary takes the role as ScreenCoach’s Business Development Manager, joining fellow parents and co-founders, Chief Executive Officer Stephanie Kakris, and Head of Technology Peter Kakris.
“We’re thrilled with this second round of funding support, which will help us finalise the design of the app and upgrade hardware for cross-device support, so we can get it into the hands of families that need it in Australia and around the world,“ Stephanie, who holds a Masters in Psychology and is a published parenting author, said.
The Accelerating Commercialisation grant provides SMBs, entrepreneurs and researchers with funding with the aim to strengthen, grow, innovate and commercialise Australian business both nationally and globally.
The highly competitive grant process puts each project through an independent, merit based assessment for the chance to be awarded up to $1 million in matched funding, meaning the business must contribute an equal amount to the project.
Just 530 of the grants have been awarded between the program’s inception in 2014 and 2021, providing $260 million to support companies to commercialise their innovative products.
Join ScreenCoach’s Beta Trials at www.myscreencoach.com
