We all have moments that distinctly shape the way we look at life.
For Emmanuel Akindele, it was a tragedy in high school. In the midst of a toxic social media environment filled with online bullying and harassment, one of his classmates committed suicide.
At the funeral, the words of the grieving father had a profound impact.
I didn’t know.
Over the past few years, Akindele has been working on a solution to help parents know and better equip them to navigate their children’s entry into social media.
Blue Guardian is a mental health early warning system that uses emotional analysis of your kids' social media usage to detect mental health problems before it’s too late.
Blue Guardian has the ability to control mobile applications. It can help reduce time spent on a specific social media platform and monitor private messages. It also allows children to request extra time from parents.
Available in English and French, Blue Guardian currently works on Snapchat, TikTok and Instagram.
The software can be personalized by parents, who can take into account personal, cultural and religious considerations when designing social media guard rails for their children.
The service as a software (SaaS) works on a monthly subscription model, and Akindele is currently working on developing a mobile app version with the help of the gig economy.
While he continues to wear several different hats at Blue Guardian, Akindele hopes to shore up his technical base with the help of experienced mentors who’ve done it all before.
Coming of age
Just as children were eager to get permission for their first stayover, first date, or driver’s lesson, joining social media has become part and parcel of growing up.
And it is a fast-changing landscape.
As parents get a handle on one platform, something completely new can break into popular culture that they don’t have the means to educate themselves on. Just look at the explosive impact TikTok has made, built on the power of pre-teens and now growing subscribers across older demographics.
Canada itself has a very high rate of technology adoption by children as young as seven years old, either through a tablet, smartphone, laptop or computer. Akindele notes that they were already spending 8-9 hours a day in front of screens before the pandemic. That number has notched over 10 hours.
Blue Guardian’s major competitors, the likes of Bark, Qustodio and Kaspersky, are all spending a vast amount of their resources to win the U.S. and European markets. Given the over-exposure, Akindele is focused on becoming the benchmark in Canada, targeting a million families through his bilingual app.
Additionally, Akindele is working on connections with AI researchers at Canadain Universities who are leading studies on sentiment analysis. Cracking this code is a vital part of Akindele’s vision for what Blue Guardian could be.
Imagine an application that can track and monitor your kids' mood by analyzing the words they use, or identifying online behavioural patterns. Such an application will be able to spot cues for suicide or self-harm.
Mission before self
Entering his fourth year at Western University, Akindele’s involved in quite the balancing act.
Apart from completing his Bachelor of Arts in Economics, and running a startup, he is also a Reservist in the Canadian Forces. That latter experience has brought a new dimension to his perspective on business.
It has allowed him to stay focused on the mission.
By reminding himself what the world can look like if Blue Guardian succeeds, Akindele drives forward. Mission before self, allows him to take losses, appreciate every small step forward, and embrace every ‘thank you’ from parents who have taken a chance on his vision.
“Being the change you want in the world isn’t enough, you have to make it,” said Akindele.
And it’s a long road.
As he prepares for his final year at undergrad, Akindele wants to encourage his fellow students and aspiring entrepreneurs to take a chance. Many feel that they lack the knowledge or experience to start their journey, but much of that is developed along the way.
"If you believe in the mission, and the mission is important enough. You almost have a duty to do so," said Akindele.
And it is with that mindset, the fear of failure takes a backseat to a mission worth pursuing.