Details
Incorporated in Taiwan. In 2018 completed back-end of the prototype, formed a partnership with Westside-Union, and followed by 600+ people on social media. in 2019 published our first article with over 500 views.
Idea
Penpals for the mobile age. Ichigo amigo enables children from around the world to make new friends in the safest environment possible. With the assistance of their parents or teachers. Ichigo amigos exchange short pre-recorded video messages, allowing them to build friendships, learn languages, and explore other cultures.
Challenge
Children are not safe online and they have few if any quality trustworthy mobile applications to choose from in the market. Predators lurk around every digital corner and the big tech companies have shown that they don’t have yours or your kids’ best interests at heart. The level of security offered by most child apps is unacceptable.
Solution
Introducing ichigo amigo, the safest and most secure children’s platform on the market.
●Blockchain-secured Virtual ID● No unnecessary data collection for the purposes of ads or 3rd party use. We stand firmly against so-called “surveillance capitalist” business models●100% parent/teacher controlled. App not for use by unsupervised children. No adults allowed on video. Policies are community-enforced.ichigo empowers its amigos to●Enhance communication skills●Learn a new language●Build social skills●Gain an understanding and appreciation of other culture celebrate diversity
Story
I founded ichigo intending to simply want to develop a way for kids to befriend others around the world in a safe and fun environment. I noticed how much my kindergarten students in Taiwan enjoyed exchanging brief video messages with my nephew in St. Louis, and I thought it would be nice for all kids to have a similar opportunity. Drawing inspiration from Peter Thiel’s Zero to One, I envisioned building a simple tool, in the form of a mobile app with relatively few bells and whistles, to encourage communication. I didn’t want the app to be bogged down with unnecessary functions and cumbersome ads. After gaining some confidence and support from my good friends (and soon-to-be-co-founders, Gregory and Jocelyn), I got to work. I rented a cheap office, incorporated ichigo in Taiwan, and ventured far outside my comfort-zone by quitting my full-time teaching gig. A more detailed look at ichigo’s journey can be found in our ‘off white’ paper, published earlier this year, which has generated some fantastic feedback and has over 500 page views https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ichigos-off-white-paper-michael-jaeger/
