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Gosforth entrepreneur lands £60k investment to develop child safety prototype

Child safety business BrandAmi, established by mother turned entrepreneur Ami Davies, has received a £60k investment from the Finance for Business North East Proof of Concept Fund, managed by Northstar Ventures.

Ami, who established the Gosforth-based business after identifying identified a gap in the market, will use the funds to develop a suite of prototype products.

The business has created a three-piece child safety solution called ‘My Little Explorer’, which includes a children’s book and a ‘smart’ wristband that links to an app on a parent’s smartphone using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) Technology.

The book aims to educate children about safety in a fun and innovative way by creating a shared experience between the child and parent.

It introduces the child to the concept of separation, being aware of their surroundings and to stop if the wrist band vibrates. The wristband uses BLE Technology to create an invisible link between the child and the parent’s Smartphone which uses the app.

The app gives parents control over how far is too far, with adjustable boundaries, awareness and time to react before their child goes past their boundaries.

Ami Davies said: “We are now in the first phase of our ongoing investment strategy, and thanks to receiving funding from the Proof of Concept Fund, My Little Explorer is currently being developed by technology experts at The Centre for Process Innovation.

“The prototype will be ready by the end of June, which is when we will be looking for parents and carers to test our product.

“My Little Explorer is designed to keep children safe, and with the current stats being so high – 90% of parents have become separated from their child in a public place, and 20% have lost their child more than once – I really think that we will be able to address this problem, and ensure our children are much safer.”

Wesley Hartley, investment manager at Northstar Ventures, said: “I first met BrandAmi at Venturefest North East last year and what really impressed was the drive of the founders coupled with a really comprehensive understanding of the child safety market and how wearable tech will completely change the landscape.

“Armed with a great concept and through a lot of grit and determination the Company brought itself to a place where it was ready to take on third party investment with a really compelling and well developed proposition. The product is looking fantastic and the next few months will be really exciting.”

Mark Beckwith, Business Development Manager, CPI, said:“We are delighted to be working with Ami to take her idea from a concept to a prototype. CPI is a technology innovation centre that works with products like My Little Explorer to transform ideas into marketable products. My Little Explorer is a great idea and will appeal to all parents with young children.”

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