Press Kit

StepSafe media resources

Everything you need to write about StepSafe. Quotes, interviews, and additional materials on request.

Funded on Kickstarter by 69 backers. Devices ship in early 2027.

Boilerplate

StepSafe is an affordable cellular GPS tracker for children with autism, ADHD, Down syndrome, and other special needs who are prone to wandering. Founded by 17-year-old Ashwin Chunchu in Toronto, StepSafe uses real cellular GPS rather than Bluetooth-based tracking, never listens or records, and costs $129 USD for the device plus $14.99 USD per month, or $299 USD once for lifetime service, with no activation fee and free shipping. AngelSense charges up to $779.88 USD a year on its month to month plan, plus a $59 USD activation fee (AngelSense pricing verified August 5, 2026; activation fee from AngelSense’s US help pages, September 21, 2026). StepSafe prices above are early prices, held until devices ship in early 2027.

The story

Ashwin Chunchu is 17 and based in Toronto. Before writing a line of product spec, he spent six months talking with more than 100 families of children who wander, in autism, ADHD, and Down syndrome communities, about what existing trackers get wrong.

What he learned shaped everything: nearly half of children with autism attempt to wander from safe settings, and accidental drowning accounts for 71% of the deaths that follow. Yet the most trusted tracker on the market costs families $540 to $780 USD a year in subscription alone (pricing verified August 5, 2026). Families call it the disability tax: the more your child needs protection, the more you pay for it.

So he built the alternative those families asked for: real cellular GPS that works anywhere with cell coverage, wearing options designed for kids with sensory sensitivities (clip or lanyard), a device that never listens, so it raises no recording question at school, and a price a single-income family can sustain. StepSafe ran its Kickstarter campaign from August 4 to September 3, 2026, where 69 backers funded it and Kickstarter named it a Project We Love. Manufacturing is handled by JIMI IoT, which ships over 1.7 million tracking devices a year, and devices ship in early 2027.

Key facts

What it is: a clip-on cellular GPS tracker for children who wander, with real-time location, geofenced safe zones with entry and exit alerts, location history, and a remotely triggered audible alarm
Kickstarter: ran August 4 to September 3, 2026, and closed funded by 69 backers, a Kickstarter Project We Love. Orders are now taken on stepsafetech.com. Estimated delivery: early 2027
Pricing: $129 USD for the device plus $14.99 USD a month, or $299 USD once for Lifetime Pro with no monthly fee ever. These are early prices and hold until devices ship, after which retail is $149 USD and $399 USD
Nearly half (49%) of children with autism attempt to elope from a safe environment (National Autism Association, citing the Interactive Autism Network)
Accidental drowning accounts for 71% of deaths following wandering incidents among children with autism (National Autism Association six-year mortality study)
Children with autism are 160 times as likely to die from drowning as the general pediatric population (Guan J, Li G. Injury Mortality in Individuals With Autism. American Journal of Public Health 2017;107(5):791-793, via Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health)
Privacy by design: it never listens and never records, and no one can switch listening on, including us, which also makes the device acceptable in schools
Connectivity: embedded SIM included, no phone plan required. The tracker works across the United States and Canada
Shipping: primary markets are the United States and Canada. Other countries depend on demand and on regulatory certifications completing
Battery: up to 4 days on a single charge, roughly twice-weekly charging
Hardware: manufactured by JIMI IoT. StepSafe's FCC, ISED and CE certifications are all in process, the Canadian ISED with Nemko, an accredited certification body. Any certification held on the manufacturer's platform is theirs, not ours, and should not be reported as StepSafe holding it

Why it's newsworthy

A 17-year-old founder taking on a safety market priced for institutions, not families
The disability tax angle: families of special needs children routinely pay up to $780 USD a year for basic safety technology (pricing verified August 5, 2026, sources at stepsafetech.com/pricing-sources)
Child safety with real stakes: wandering is common and its most frequent fatal outcome is drowning, yet most families have no plan
Community-designed: built from interviews with 100+ affected families, including the choice that the device never listens

Coverage

News

NOW Toronto“This 17-year-old Mississauga entrepreneur created a GPS tracker for children with autism and ADHD”, by Patricia Dolor.
Mississauga News“Mississauga teen builds affordable GPS tracker for neurodivergent kids who wander”, by Ayesha Ghaffar, August 21, 2026. Covers the founder’s reason for building it and the absence of any Canadian equivalent to an Amber Alert for elopement.
Modern Mississauga“Modern Entrepreneur Profile: Mississauga’s Ashwin Chunchu”, July 30, 2026. Covers why StepSafe was built, cellular GPS versus Bluetooth tags, and the decision that the device never listens.

The Mississauga News story was carried across Metroland titles including The IFP, InsideHalton, Brampton Guardian and Caledon Enterprise.

Listings and directories

Gadget FlowProduct discovery platform listing.
Tech StarterCrowdfunding and hardware discovery listing, August 22, 2026.
Closing The GapAssistive technology product guide and producer directory.
SearchingCProduct discovery platform listing.

Shared by

@areacode416ix on Instagram
905hub
Explorer Channel on Facebook

Some third party listings illustrate the product with images they created themselves. Those images are not ours, were not supplied or approved by us, and do not depict the device. Official product photography is in the press kit below.

Keep in touch

Get updates on production, shipping and the wearable band.

Media assets

Everything below is in the kit, organised into folders. Free to use with credit.

/product device photography, four shots
/founder founder headshot, plus a founder-with-device shot
/logos wordmark, icon, app icon, usage notes
/graphics comparison table, app preview, how it works, pricing card, dated pricing source
/text boilerplate, founder bios, key facts with citations

Download press kit

ZIP, about 4 MB. Product and founder photos, logos, app preview, how it works, boilerplate, and key facts with sources.

Prefer not to download? View the press kit on Google Drive

All assets are free to use with credit to StepSafe. Contact ashwin@stepsafetech.com for anything else you need.

Contact

Ashwin Chunchu, Founder
ashwin@stepsafetech.com
Replies within a day. Interviews welcome.