This 17-year-old Mississauga entrepreneur created a GPS tracker for children with autism and ADHD

A 17-year-old Mississauga entrepreneur has raised more than three times his crowdfunding goal for a GPS tracker designed to help families locate children with autism and ADHD who wander.

Ashwin Chunchu, a recent graduate of St. Francis Xavier Secondary School, developed StepSafe Kids over five months after learning about the limited and often costly tracking options available to families of children with autism and other disabilities.

The device is currently being funded through Kickstarter and is expected to begin shipping in February 2027. The campaign reached its goal within 14 hours and initially surpassed 230 per cent of its target. By the time Chunchu spoke with Now Toronto, he said that figure had climbed to approximately 350 per cent.

“I did expect it to cross the goal,” Chunchu said, pointing to a pre-launch list of more than 200 interested people. “I’m really happy that we surpassed a lot.”

The Kickstarter campaign is scheduled to close on Sept. 3.

How StepSafe works

Through the StepSafe app, parents can create designated safe areas around locations such as their home or child’s school. If the child leaves one of those areas, the parent receives a push notification and can track the device’s location.

Parents can also identify unsafe areas. Chunchu said the team is exploring whether entering one could trigger a louder phone alarm, similar to a wake-up alarm, depending on restrictions within Apple and Android operating systems.

The device has an SOS button, although its notification was intentionally made less disruptive after parents warned that some children might press it repeatedly. Its microphone has also been permanently disabled, meaning the tracker does not provide audio recording or two-way communication.

Chunchu said that decision could make StepSafe more suitable for schools where devices with two-way communication may not be permitted.

The tracker currently comes with a lanyard and a clip that can be attached to clothing, a pocket or a shoe. StepSafe is also developing more secure wearing options based on feedback from parents, including an adjustable waistband and a two-in-one wrist and ankle band.

The planned waistband would attach to a child’s clothing using a locking mechanism that can only be released with a magnet held by the parent.

According to Chunchu, the battery should last approximately four days in the recommended smart-tracking mode. That setting updates less frequently when the child is stationary and increases the frequency when movement is detected.

He estimates the tracker’s accuracy at approximately two to five metres outdoors and 10 to 20 metres indoors.

Early-bird Kickstarter backers can order the device for $139, while its regular crowdfunding price is $159. Users would then pay a $13.99 monthly subscription. A $349 lifetime option is also available without recurring subscription fees.

StepSafe also has an option allowing backers to donate a device to someone who could not otherwise afford one. The backer pays $139, while StepSafe covers shipping and the first year of subscription costs.

Chunchu said StepSafe plans to partner with non-profit organizations to help distribute those devices to families who need them most.

A frightening childhood experience sparked the idea

The idea for StepSafe came from Chunchu’s own experience of becoming lost in a park when he was seven years old.

“I got lost in a park at around 10 to 11 p.m. at night, and it was a really scary experience,” he said. “I was really lucky that there was a stranger nearby who helped me find my dad.”

Ten years later, Chunchu found himself thinking about how scared his father must have been that night.

His first concept was a simple phone for young children with GPS tracking, 911 access and the ability to call home. The idea later became a tracker inside a shoe before Chunchu realized children would quickly outgrow it and that the device would be too thick to fit comfortably inside an insole.

While researching the idea and speaking with parents on Reddit, he learned more about children with disabilities who may wander from their homes or schools and have difficulty finding their way back or asking for help.

He also found that some existing tracking services charge between US$45 and US$65 per month. Meanwhile, AirTags are intended to track objects, and GPS watches may not be suitable for children with sensory sensitivities who remove them.

“That’s when I set out to create StepSafe,” Chunchu said. “It wasn’t just a project or an idea anymore. I wanted to actually help these families get an affordable device in their hands.”

Developing the product required Chunchu to contact approximately 10 manufacturers and navigate child-safety, privacy and wireless-device requirements in Canada and the United States.

“It was a whole other full-time job just figuring out what regulatory things I’d need and how I’d get them,” he said.

StepSafe remains in development, with its Kickstarter funding intended to support certification, manufacturing and other costs before the first devices ship.

What could come next

Launching a technology product while finishing high school required Chunchu to balance the company with his schoolwork and another app he developed, which attracted roughly 35,000 users.

This fall, he will begin studying at York University’s Schulich School of Business.

In the future, Chunchu hopes to adapt StepSafe for older adults who wander, including people living with dementia. The idea is also personal for him because his grandfather has Alzheimer’s disease and sometimes wanders at night.

He is also considering future features such as fall detection and water alerts, although those ideas remain in the early stages.

“I don’t want this to become a general GPS tracker,” Chunchu said. “The goal is to make this as affordable as possible for the families who need it.”