Irish technology company Chirp, developer of world-first embedded software that detects and blocks cyberbullying, grooming, and self-harm content on smartphones, has opened a new funding round to support its international launch and scale-up phase.
The company, which raised €4.4 million in seed funding in 2023, is now seeking strategic investors and crowdfunding participants to join its next growth stage as it moves toward full commercial deployment with major global telcos.
Chirp’s technology operates at manufacture level, embedding AI-driven child protection directly into smartphones. It can block harmful content in real time — even inside encrypted apps such as WhatsApp, Snapchat, and Instagram — without lag or privacy intrusion. This capability positions Chirp far ahead of existing parental-control software, which typically relies on surface-level monitoring or keyword detection.
The relevance of the UK market is clear: Ofcom states that “nine in 10 children own a mobile phone by the time they reach the age of 11”. Additionally, around 24 % of children aged 5-7 years already own a smartphone in the UK.
Ofcom further reports that over 70 % of children aged 5-15 have seen hateful content online and more than one-quarter of children aged 8-17 have experienced a nasty or hurtful interaction via communication technology.
These figures underline the scale of the opportunity — and the regulatory and consumer pressure for better protective tools.
Chirp has partnered with the UNESCO Chair for the Prevention of Bullying (Dublin City University) and ADAPT/Science Foundation Ireland to develop its market-ready product. It aims to become the global standard for machine-level child protection on connected devices.
Following its presentation at the UN’s ITU “AI for Good” Summit in Geneva, Chirp has secured commitments for over 500,000 Chirp-enabled smartphones through partnerships with European and Asian telcos, with further letters of intent covering Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and the United States.
“Our vision is simple — every phone should protect its most vulnerable user,” said Rena Maycock, Founder and CEO of Chirp. “Parents have been told to manage screen time, but that doesn’t stop the problem. The only real solution is embedding protection directly into the device.”
Chirp’s new funding round will accelerate rollout with major telecom and manufacturing partners, scale R&D and certification processes, and fund new safety features including Dark Web blocking for children’s devices. The company’s advisory board includes Ronan Dunne (Chairman Six Nations Rugby, former CEO Verizon & O2) and notable technology investors including Evan Sharp, Co-founder of Pinterest.
Alongside institutional capital, Chirp is opening a portion of the raise to the general public through a crowdfunding campaign, allowing parents and retail investors to participate directly in the company’s mission to make child protection native to every smartphone.
Maycock added: “This is technology built by parents, for parents. It’s not just a commercial opportunity — it’s a social infrastructure play. We’re creating a safer digital world for the next generation.”
With government pressure mounting on tech companies to address online harm and new UK child-safety regulations coming into force, Chirp’s embedded approach offers both compliance and consumer reassurance — making it one of the most commercially and socially promising AI ventures in the safety-tech sector.
