KoalaSafe $98k Series K

[Adam Mills]

Hi Guys,

For those of you I haven't met at drinks, I am one of the founders of www.koalasafe.com (startmate #15).

We make parental controls in a box (time limits, content filtering + safe search, and parental analytics - across all devices in the home)

We have launched today on Kickstarter, raising $98k hence the series K ;) ! 

If you are a parent or care about how kids use the Internet we'd love you to back us.

Please share this link on Facebook and Twitter

http://koalasafe.com/kickstarter

Thanks

Adam

[Alon Tamir]

Great product - backed! My kids will (one day) love me for this. 

Good luck with the rest of the campaign!

Alon

Founder @ Proper

www.studioproper.com

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[Adam Mills]

Thanks Alon! Appreciate it.

ᐧ

Easier parenting.

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Support our launch by signing up at http://koalasafe.com/launch

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[Stephen Young]

Backed.  Nice.  I've been asked about how to deal with this problem dozens of times and never really had a good an answer.  'hope you do well, and I'm looking forward to having a play ;-)

Cheers

Steve

On Thu, Mar 19, 2015 at 6:08 PM, Adam Mills <ad...@chambills.com> wrote:

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Stephen Young

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Architect: graphbase.net

61 2 9904-5882 (AU)   61 416-000-178 (Mob)  1 415 690-8639 (US)

[Adam Mills]

Thanks Steve, KoalaSafe was born from that very experience. My co-founders sister was pulling her hair out after giving the kids iPads.

ᐧ

Easier parenting.

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Support our launch by signing up at http://koalasafe.com/launch

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[Patrick Collins]

I love it. There is a real need for this. I'll fund it.

I would love you to implement my idea as well: an app-based management system with a currency where my kids can exchange internet time for chores completed. Did the lawn? Check. 15 minutes more minecraft. Would need device level control as well.

[Alon Tamir]

+1!

[Adam Mills]

Thanks Patrick, this is on the cards. Not going to be done for KS delivery though.

We have a child psychologist involved to help shape the next phase of the product. We both love the idea of turning internet time into a currency, but not just for chores, its something they can bank and control when they spend it (they may get 2 hours per day, but not use it all). There is a lot of studies coming out that suggesting limited amounts of binge gaming and internet time is better than constant drip feeding.

It will also engage them and make them part of the process (better development) rather than being passively effected.

ᐧ

Easier parenting.

+61 410 389 092 | ad...@koalasafe.com

Support our launch by signing up at http://koalasafe.com/launch

On Fri, Mar 20, 2015 at 10:27 AM, Patrick Collins <pcol...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Ashley Angell]

As a parent who's kids go to a private school renowned for its technological innovation I'm very sure the parents of my kid's school would fall over themselves for a product like this!

Ash

On 20 Mar 2015, at 9:42 am, Adam Mills <ad...@chambills.com> wrote:

Thanks Patrick, this is on the cards. Not going to be done for KS delivery though.

We have a child psychologist involved to help shape the next phase of the product. We both love the idea of turning internet time into a currency, but not just for chores, its something they can bank and control when they spend it (they may get 2 hours per day, but not use it all). There is a lot of studies coming out that suggesting limited amounts of binge gaming and internet time is better than constant drip feeding.

It will also engage them and make them part of the process (better development) rather than being passively effected.

ᐧ

<image001.png>

Easier parenting.

+61 410 389 092 | ad...@koalasafe.com

Support our launch by signing up at http://koalasafe.com/launch

On Fri, Mar 20, 2015 at 10:27 AM, Patrick Collins <pcol...@gmail.com> wrote:

I love it. There is a real need for this. I'll fund it.

I would love you to implement my idea as well: an app-based management system with a currency where my kids can exchange internet time for chores completed. Did the lawn? Check. 15 minutes more minecraft. Would need device level control as well.

On Thu, Mar 19, 2015 at 3:37 PM Adam Mills <ad...@chambills.com> wrote:

Thanks Alon! Appreciate it.

ᐧ

<image001.png>

[Adam Mills]

Thanks Ash! Would love you to spread the word to them!

ᐧ

Easier parenting.

+61 410 389 092 | ad...@koalasafe.com

Support our launch by signing up at http://koalasafe.com/launch

[Clifford Heath]

Adam,

Go for it!

I went through this with one of the first fully-wired-for-internet families in Melbourne,
and though I’m now a grandfather and not personally in need of it, support the concept.

With my own three sons, my strategy was to wire internet to their rooms (wireless now
isn’t location-sensitive of course) and I believe that was a mistake. Children should have
a location in the house where they can do homework research in a public place, not in
private. I’m not sure how a “filter box” can achieve that.

I built a comprehensive monitoring firewall with web filtering, on an old PC running OpenBSD.
I showed the boys the logs that are collected, and told them that I can check any time I like,
so they need to exercise good behaviour. As a result of this, I almost never *needed* to check
the logs, and over more than a decade, only had to gently chide one of them twice. That is,
the boys were given a lot of freedom, but learned that nothing is truly private. I believe that
was an effective strategy for Real Life(tm). You can speed, but eventually you’ll get caught.

However, the lure of web comics and other innocent time-wasters was too much, and I think
their studies were badly affected. I can’t really complain; one has an excellent single and two
have double degrees in STEM fields, and all have good jobs, relationships and further career
prospects. But in general, their teenage years had too much downtime looking at a screen.

I hope that is some help to you in your endeavours, and perhaps to others here who are
embarking on the most challenging startup of all: fledging great children.

Clifford Heath.

[Ash Angell]

Also strike of genius using the "obsessed with Minecraft" marketing line!  Out of curiosity, how does the box stop minecraft from running on a PC after the initial authentication is done?

Answer me this, and I'll post the kick starter on the School's Parental Facebook groups for you. ;)

Ash

[Tom Allen]

Not that it's a deal-breaker at all, but I'm assuming this can't filter anything if the kids turn off wi-fi and use their device's data connection instead. If it can do this - wow! What technology did I miss?

Tom

[Adam Mills]

Thanks Clifford,

One of KoalaSafe's big features is exactly those sorts of analytics. So you can see where they spend there time at different granularities (category to actual app/site).

The biggest learning we have had is just how diverse parenting styles are. We have attempted to accommodate the 3 main categories of parents in our product.

So in your example, you can entirely disable filtering (or make it very loose) and then rely entirely on the "logs" we provide. We can tell you if they are on web-comics instead of studying and you can have that conversation them.

We really see KoalaSafe as a parenting tool for parents to use within their own style.

ᐧ

Easier parenting.

+61 410 389 092 | ad...@koalasafe.com

Support our launch by signing up at http://koalasafe.com/launch

[Adam Mills]

No at the moment KoalaSafe can't help if you have given your children smartphones or 4G connected devices.

But! We have a second offering to compliment the current product in the pipeline.

ᐧ

Easier parenting.

+61 410 389 092 | ad...@koalasafe.com

Support our launch by signing up at http://koalasafe.com/launch

[simran]

+(all my karma) to Patrick's use case! :) 

The kids are bargaining more minecraft time with me all the time and i do use chores and homework as the currency sometimes :) Tech that helps manages process... i'd back that for sure :) 

(at the moment, i have a strong suspicion the exchange rate for them is rather good, mostly because i have a forgetful memory ;) 

s.

On Fri, Mar 20, 2015 at 10:27 AM, Patrick Collins <pcol...@gmail.com> wrote:

[blindman2k]

Adam,

I have seen a few of these projects come and go. As a father of four tech savvy, Minecraft obsessed kids I need all the help I can get and look forward to someone getting this right.

It will be my pleasure to back you and promote you next week on my massively popular globally syndicated Kickstarterland blog (tongue planted firmly in cheek).

    A.

[Adam Mills]

Much appreciated.

Thanks

Adam

ᐧ

Easier parenting.

+61 410 389 092 | ad...@koalasafe.com

Back us on Kickstarter http://koalasafe.com/launch

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[simran]

Well done KoalaSafe people :) Looks like you made it over the line on kickstarter just in time (you had someone topping up did you? :) - either way, i'm super glad i can look forward to a koalasafe device soon :) 

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[simran]

i knew i missed out on the $55 early bird... but reminding me i paid more but am getting the $55 reward... dang... that's in my face! :) 

(i'm assuming it's a kickstarter bug where i pledged more, but am getting the "lesser reward" - even though the lesser part is just the "title").

Amount pledged  $78.00 AUD Reward EARLY BIRD ~$55 USD Our first supporters receive a KoalaSafe for the lowest price possible. Estimated delivery  Jul 2015 Shipping to  Australia ($8)

[Patrick Collins]

I saw steven from koalasafe pitch on Tuesday night in San Francisco. The current crop of Startmate companies is very strong and koalasafe was a highlight. Congrats on reaching your goal koalasafe! Good luck on the seed round and production.

Patrick.

[Adam Mills]

Thanks @patrick!

@simran the $78 is in AUD - the $55 is a rough conversion to USD for our US backers

ᐧ

Easier parenting.

+1 415 690 6370 | ad...@koalasafe.com

Follow us on angel list https://angel.co/koalasafe

[blindman2k]

I backed your project so I am really pleased it got funded ... just. But I have to say that if I were the KS dodge police I would be looking twice at these numbers. I watch a LOT of campaigns and I have never seen a campaign do this before.

On Thursday, March 19, 2015 at 6:08:50 PM UTC+11, Adam Mills wrote:

[simran]

does anyone know when these things are getting delivered... i thought it was meant to have happened a few weeks ago... grrr for promises... 

--

[Adam Mills]

Hi Simran,

There were a couple of small hiccups. They shipped earlier this week, we sent out a tracking number to you on Tuesday.

Thanks

Adam

ᐧ

Easier parenting. Healthier kids

+1 415 690 6370 | ad...@koalasafe.com

Follow us on angel list https://angel.co/koalasafe

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[Alan SP]

Hey Simran, do you even Kickstarter bro? ;)

Well done shipping this soon Adam. Awesome effort.

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[simran]

right you are Adam... thanks, i can see the tracking now :) 

Alan, my bad... should have checked the kickstarter pages... (or emails, but unfortunately they were all going into spam by default!) ... i have bout 20 kickstarter things i have backed... not one has been on time... some are as much as 2 years late... but given that koalasafe is shipped, it's one of the better ones :) still, we hold our own to higher standards :) 

on that note, when i mentioned koalasafe to my kids school, they are super dooper keen... i've told the teachers that once i have mine up and running, i'll give them an update and they can investigate if it would be appropriate for the school to get one / a few? 

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[blindman2k]

I got my tracking number the other day. These guys have been pretty darn good at communicating and delivering in a reasonable amount of time. 

I have backed a lot of projects - one delivered early, a handful delivered on time, one is now three years late and the rest are somewhere in between.

    A.

[ad...@chambills.com]

Thanks everyone for the continued support. 

@Simran - we are definitely interested in talking to schools as potential distribution channels (and already  talking to a number). The current hardware is consumer grade and wouldn't support hundreds of kids using it. There are a number of firewall solutions geared at schools (for network admins) already so we haven't really looked at them as a market. 

[simran]

Cool... just for context, my kids to go a local public primary school (in the shire) - as you can imagine, the teachers find it a hassle to deal with the department of education's IT - if they had something simple that they could "plug in" (think a MIIT attack vector :) they might love that... say the word firewall, and you will scare them all away... say "koala safe" and give them a nice easy interface, you've probably got a sale :)