Parentof, a start-up, has developed an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based parenting tool to aid parents to understand their children better.

With complexity in modern day lives, parents are leaning on tools like Google to understand certain personality traits amongst their children and understand its impact on them. “Children think differently from adults and it is here that machine-learning techniques can be used to analyse data pertaining to the child and recommend activities for child growth and development,” said Swaroop Madhavan, CEO of Parentof.

Parentof claims that it integrates various data points generated by various people who come in contact with the child. “We intend to become the “third parent” in your child’s life who reads what you may not see in your child. For this, we are in the process of building the largest child-related data and decision-sciences search engine,” said Madhavan.

‘Mai’ engine

Called ‘Mai’, the engine currently analyses around 3 lakh data points of children in 3-16 age-group, which it obtained from 15,000 registered parents in the country. “By analysing data, the software recommends what are the possible reasons for aggressive behaviour, constant mood swings or lack of self esteem,” said Madhavan.

Madhavan and his team of data scientists and engineers are in the process of filing eight global patents for its technology, which is certified by National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) for global adoption. “The model developed by Parentof is based on developmental milestones and some items from child temperament assessment instruments. This model is appropriate for testing the parental reports of child’s achievements, as well as indicators of development all of which can be used for parental guidance,” according to Uma Hirisave, Professor and clinical psychology consultant, NIMHANS.

Currently, Mai has around 15,000 registered parents, of which 2,500 are paid subscribers. Madhavan believes that this number can increase to 3.5 lakh users by next year-end. While any user can download the app from Play store, revenues come from educational institutions such as Deen’s Academy, Vibgyor High, amongst the 200-odd schools that have signed up across Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai and Andhra Pradesh.

In this backdrop, Parentof has raised ₹4.5 crore in funding from a clutch of prominent Indian and UK investors, which includes Shanaz Ali, Ex-Councillor of Hertfordshire in the UK. “As we lead hectic lives, technologies like AI can help in engaging better with children rather than just switching the telly on or giving them a gaming device,” said Ali. Indian investors include Srinivas V, Founding Partner of Zaikenn; RS Shanbhag, CMD of Valuepoint; Krishnaprasad, ex-Sales Head of HSBC, amongst others.

Ali also believes that this can be used in UK schools, in addition to expanding in West Asia and Asia.

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