Australia, VIC
Australian CSF Offer
Technology
Reasons To Invest
- Tackling a widespread global problem that modern parents experience:
With 90% of parents concerned about excessive screen time, ScreenCoach is addressing the needs of 7.5 million Aussie families. (and 1000 x more globally) - Unique, Kid-Empowering Solution:
Unlike traditional parental control apps, ScreenCoach empowers kids to build healthy habits through positive reinforcement. Our app is customisable to meet all families’ needs. It also supports neurodivergent children, including those with ADHD and autism, with plans for NDIS approval and future B2B sales to schools and educational institutions. - Fully Operational & ready to expand globally:
The ScreenCoach app was launched in late 2023 and is available worldwide on the App Store and Google Play, compatible with iOS & Android with Mac & Windows versions available - Strong founding team:
Built by a former psychologist and two-time exited tech founder with extensive experience in parenting and understanding child psychology, ensuring that our solution is not only technically sound but also tailored to the needs of families. - Endorsed by parents, psychologists & teachers:
With over 10,000+ downloads, we have garnered support from a diverse group of stakeholders . Since launching our paid plan, we’ve welcomed 180+ paying subscribers who are already benefiting from our app. - Market Opportunity:
The global parental control software market is experiencing rapid growth predicted to grow by 12.1% from USD 2.7B in 2022 to 3.9B by 2032, offering a significant growth opportunity for ScreenCoach. - Government-backed:
ScreenCoach has already secured $1 million in funding from two federal government grants to develop and scale their ‘Alpha’ and ‘Beta’ applications. These grants were hard to win, requiring extensive government due diligence. - Praised in the media:
ScreenCoach has gained significant media attention with features on A Current Affair, 7News, MSN and USA Today, building brand awareness and credibility.
Why ScreenCoach?
ScreenCoach is an innovative app designed to help children develop healthy screen habits through positive reinforcement. It was invented after founders Stephanie and Peter Kakris struggled to manage their own kids’ screen time. They tried several screen time management tools, but they found that most only focused on blocking access, which often led to more conflict rather than encouraging cooperation or lasting behavioural change. Many of the existing solutions also didn't align with their parenting approach and came with technical flaws and limitations.
After interviewing families who shared similar concerns, they developed ScreenCoach.
Their platform leverages positive psychology to encourage good behaviour, offering rewards of additional screen time and / or pocket money. ScreenCoach takes on the role of ‘bad cop’ so that parents don’t have to, helping families enjoy a more peaceful household.
They have used it in their own home for two years with their own daughter (now 15 years old); she has been a great alpha & beta tester!
The Problem
90% of Aussie parents identify excessive screen time as their top health concern for their kids.
Current solutions fall short by only restricting or delaying screen time, leading to increased household tension without addressing the underlying issues or teaching self-management behaviour.
Research highlights that excessive screen time negatively impacts various aspects of children's well-being. For children under 5, it can affect weight, cognitive and motor development, and overall social and psychological health. This issue persists in children aged 5-17, contributing to weight problems, unhealthy diets, behavioural issues, anxiety, hyperactivity, attention deficits, low self-esteem, and compromised psychosocial health.
A gap in the market exists for a solution that goes beyond parental controls to support children in building healthier, balanced screen habits.
Our Solution
ScreenCoach is a world-first 3-in-1 solution that combines screen time management, behavioural change, and pocket money management.
ScreenCoach is three systems in one:
- Screen time Management: Tracks and limits the amount of time children spend across multiple hardware/digital devices and operating systems - iOS, Android, Mac & Windows. At a high level, Apps on devices are blocked when not allowed to be used. If the kids run out of their screen time allowance, they can earn additional screen time tokens that can be used immediately (If allowed at that time of the day) or saved for future use . There are numerous features, That make ScreenCoach customisable for multiple parenting styles that overcome a number of technical shortcomings compared competitors Solutions.
- Well-being and Positive Behaviour Modification: Allows children to earn more screen time or pocket money by completing activities such as household chores, exercise, homework, creative pursuits, and other activities that bring balance and improved well-being to their everyday lives. This includes customisable extra bonuses to reward desirable behaviours, such as doing a task without being asked!. Activities can be scheduled with reminders and allow children to earn screen time tokens or pocket money gems for the same activity.
- Pocket Money Manager: Children and parents can manage their pocket money via a unique virtual digital wallet, including recurring income or expenses and the ability to search both income and expense history, as well as track savings. It even supports auto-entry of recurring expenses and income such as monthly subscriptions children may have.
Designed to empower children and support neurodivergent kids, it uses a positive reinforcement system that rewards healthy habits and adjusts screen access based on behaviour. Approved by parents, teachers, and psychologists, it’s a flexible and effective tool that fosters family harmony.
Kids earn screen time tokens and pocket money gems; the earned tokens automatically convert into screen time and can be saved for future use, teaching saving & delayed gratification. Trusted kids can earn rewards without the parents needing to approve, and there are bonus rewards available to incentivise behaviour change.
With thousands of downloads, glowing reviews from existing paid users and a rapidly growing market, ScreenCoach is set for expansion into schools and clinical settings.
‘Winning as a parent, for the first time ever! The kids are running around voluntarily cleaning rooms and doing chores when they realised they’d used all their tokens yesterday!’
- ScreenCoach User,
Sydney NSW.
ScreenCoach offers a gamified approach which has been designed to:
- take the nagging out of parenting,
- reduce family tension,
- teach kids how to self-manage their screen time,
- and is catalyst for child-driven behavioural change.
How ScreenCoach Works
ScreenCoach operates through a gamified user-friendly App installed on both parent and child devices. Parents set screen time limits and allowances. Once a child's time is up or outside allowed time slots, they’re blocked. Then they can earn extra screen time (via Tokens) or pocket money (Gems) by completing activities such as chores, exercise, art, music, or homework.
When kids complete activities, the parents are notified to approve them. Once approved, the earned tokens automatically convert into screen time and can be saved for future use, teaching saving & delayed gratification.
Trusted kids can self-approve tasks, reducing parent involvement. Parents can review daily report cards and can adjust trusted status as needed. Extra rewards are available for exhibiting positive behaviour, encouraging self regulation and self-managed screen time balance. For example, a child may receive 3 tokens and 1 gem for unpacking the dishwasher, however, if they do it straight away they could get a 20% bonus - or gain a 100% bonus if they do it without being asked.
Our pocket money feature includes a comprehensive virtual bank account, which allows children to convert gems for income, teaching valuable lessons like budgeting and saving. It also supports recurring expenses and deposits.
ScreenCoach also includes:
- Multi-device coverage, blocking access once time is used up
- Real-time control with temporary options like “block now” or “allow now.”
- Multiple time slots per day
- Modes to limit specific apps, like social media during homework
- PIN-based login for shared devices
- Works with any internet connection - even offline!
- Individual settings for each child
- An optional hardware solution for TVs and connected devices (Beta)
See How it Works Video for details of all the features.
Business Model
ScreenCoach is a software-only subscription-based business (SaaS), offering monthly plans at US$6.99 and annual plans at US$49. This pricing model is comparable with other leading, but limited, router-based products on the market such as Circle, and the subscription rates are also comparable with others such as Qustodio and Our Pact which don’t offer many of the features of ScreenCoach.
Business to Consumer (B2C) Marketing Plan
The company serves B2C customers through direct subscriptions on Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Search Engine Optimsation (SEO) and digital marketing are the cornerstones of this approach. More detailed insights into the purchase requirements of families will become apparent as they grow and gain access to more granular purchase-related data.
ScreenCoach stands out in the parental control software market by targeting professional families with children aged 5-12 who are heavy screen users. The business model guides customers through essential stages, from raising awareness about managing screen time to facilitating purchase decisions and enhancing user experience, ultimately fostering retention through ongoing value.
Business to Business to Consumer (B2B)
A planned roadmap is in place to offer B2B services to NDIS, Education and Schooling facilities with wholesale discounts, bulk licenses, and integration opportunities. Partnership and reseller arrangements with organisations who have complimentary products in a similar target market are also being explored.
The business’ cost structure includes an allocation for software development enabling maintenance, continuous enhancements, marketing and sales, customer support, and administrative expenses.
The Industry
The parenting technology sector, particularly screen time management, has been rapidly growing - driven by increased concerns about excessive digital device use among children.
The global parental control software industry is expected to grow by 12.1% from USD 2.7B in 2022 to 3.9B by 2030.
Innovations like ScreenCoach’s 3-in-1 solution are set to disrupt the market. With this global growth in mind, ScreenCoach has been developed to ensure language is no barrier - available in English, with the ability to easily add Spanish, Korean, or most other languages for global sales.
The parental technology industry is highly active with Mergers and Acquisitions, recently in 2022 Qustodio, a parental control software competitor, was acquired for US$53 million. ScreenCoach is planning to follow this trend and has long term plans for a strategic exit opportunity or an IPO. In the meantime, they plan to generate strong profits with dividends payable in several years.
Competitive Advantage
ScreenCoach enters a competitive market of basic screen management tools that often fall short of family needs. Built on psychological principles, our app focuses on positive reinforcement to shift behaviour and family dynamics, addressing screen time management issues at their core.
With cross-platform compatibility on iOS, Android, MacOS, and Windows, ScreenCoach delivers a unique 3-in-1 solution to existing products that only support mobile devices, block internet access, or rely on VPNs, which can cause issues.
What makes us stand out:
- Screen Time Management: Superior customisation with shared device support, modes for specific app control, educational incentives, quick changes like ‘block now’ and ‘allow now’ , and automatic token-to-screen time conversion. Each child has personalised settings that include rewards, free time allowance and maximum usage per day.
- Rewards & Task Management: Customisable chores with checklists, bonuses for quick completion, self-approval for trusted kids, and a virtual bank for converting gems to virtual money, with a history of expenses and deposits.
- Pocket Money Management: Kids track their own expenses, and parents can set recurring deposits or expenses. Both parents and children can view transaction history.
Additional Differentiating Features:
- VPN-free: Works on any internet connection and even offline. Existing competitors that block only internet access don't stop kids from watching downloaded videos or playing offline games (we do!)
- Offline functionality: Works on any internet connection - even offline! (Router based “solutions” only work when at home and the device is connected to the home wifi).
- Multi-user support: Each child has a PIN for shared devices, with time tracked across all devices.
- Optional Hardware Box (Beta): Manages TVs and connected devices, with a limited beta run, adding further differentiation. The ScreenCoach box offers additional market differentiation and is extra protection against companies that may try to copy some of our software ideas. It could be sold on a 24-month plan, which will help with customer retention.
Achievements & Milestones
Since the inception of ScreenCoach in 2019, the application has achieved huge success from its soft launch - achieving thousands of downloads and 180 paying subscribers.
- 2020:
- ScreenCoach secured $330,000 in grant funding from the Australian Government. Funding was utilised to begin the ‘Alpha’ trials of the application.
- 2021:
- ScreenCoach secures a further $670,000 in funding in Stage 2 of the ‘Accelerating Commercialisation Grant’ and ‘Beta’ trials commence.
- The media take notice after widespread studies confirm the negative effects of screen time on children's health. ScreenCoach is promoted on media outlets A Current Affair, 7news, The Courier Mail, Ticker News and the Austereo radio network.
- 2022:
- ScreenCoach launches alpha version on the App Store and Google Play with dozens of free alpha testers.
- 2023 Q1
- Beta version launches with dozens of users $1 for 12 months
- 2023 Q4
- ScreenCoach soft-launches ScreenCoach surpasses 1,000 downloads with minimal sales or marketing.
- 2024
- ScreenCoach surpasses 10,000 downloads and launches Crowdfunding Campaign to take their solution global.
ScreenCoach holds an Australian Innovation Patent, a filed Provisional Patent Application, and an International Trademark Registration. In addition to the intellectual property, ScreenCoach has developed a wide range of educational resources and content that cornerstones the business's position as a leader and expert at the crossroads of parental technology and child psychology.
Use of Funds
With the money raised during this CSF Campaign, we plan to extend our business operations and significantly increase our sales and marketing efforts.
- $100K investment will give us a 3 month runway with minimal sales and marketing spend.
- $750K investment will cover 12 months of projected costs and with $200K to spend on sales and marketing;
- $1.5M investment will cover 18 months of projected costs, providing us with the resources needed to operate and grow with $400K for sales and marketing.
While the calculations are based on these periods, we anticipate that increased revenue with higher investment could extend our runway and support long-term sustainability.
Key Risks
At ScreenCoach, the inherent risks associated with building and scaling the business are acknowledged. A thorough assessment has been conducted to identify operational risks that may impede short-term goals. For a full list of potential risks and mitigation strategies, please refer to the CSF Offer Document.
The following generalised Equity Crowdfunding risks also apply:
- Funding and Cash Flow:
The Company is in the process of raising funds to achieve its strategic business objectives and to cover its projected operating expenses. The Company may not raise all of the required funding and therefore not achieve all of its business objectives. This means that the current cash reserves (plus proceeds of the Offer) may not provide the Company with sufficient working capital. Accordingly, the Company may need to obtain additional funding in the future. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to obtain additional rounds of funding on substantially the same terms as outlined in the Offer Document or at all. The Company’s value may be materially affected if the required additional funding is not available. - Dilution Risk:
If, in the future, the Company undertakes further funding activities, a shareholder’s interest may be diluted (if they do not participate in future fundraising rounds).
About Swarmer
Swarmer is an Australian equity crowdfunding platform connecting businesses and investors. Designed to support start-ups, growth companies and scale-ups we allow everyday investors to own a share in businesses that are the future. We hold Australian Financial Services License (AFS License #507867).
Find out more about becoming a shareholder via Equity Crowdfunding through Swarmer.