k-ID launches global kids compliance platform off $5.4M raised

Link to Original VentureBeat Article

k-ID, a kids safety and compliance technology platform for games, is launching its first suite of products. Rather than manually managing data and privacy regulations, game publishers and developers can leverage k-ID to automatically update compliance across 200-plus global markets.

The firm’s products allow kids, teens and parents to tailor gameplay and social features to be age appropriate. This helps publishers deliver safe experiences that can expand as young gamers mature. k-ID’s single sign-on functionality also simplifies managing parental controls across different games.

“From the FTC in the U.S. to the Australian eSafety Commissioner and everywhere in between, there is a unanimous demand to take responsibility for making the online experience for kids and teens safer,” said Kieran Donovan, cofounder and CEO of k-ID. “Up until now, many believed an industry-wide solution was improbable but k-ID has solved that by building a game-changing, comprehensive global compliance engine and platform that simplifies the process for players and developers.”

k-ID’s compliance products

k-ID is launching with three products to start: k-ID Global Compliance Engine, k-ID Global Compliance Database and its k-ID Family Portal.

The global compliance engine is an API solution that allows developers to automatically configure age-appropriate experiences in-game. Rather than a simple age limit, the compliance engine allows developers to dynamically incorporate location, age and digital maturity information. It is also U.S. COPPA Safe Harbor certified through the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB).

To power the compliance engine, k-ID incorporates local regulations and manual inputs from players and parents. k-ID pulls from its global compliance database, which maintains up-to-date records of regulations impacting the games industry, to manage publisher’s legal obligations.

This is combined with information gathered from players and parents via k-ID’s family platform. Instead of dozens of steps and game-specific parental controls, the family platform’s single sign-on simplifies the process. The platform will also allow parents to manage spending limits and curfews in addition to online privacy for their kids. k-ID is also flexible enough to work for games with user-generated content.

Democratizing legal access

While large publishers can afford legal teams to manage risk, smaller developers rarely have the same resources. k-ID’s solution aims to make legal resources available to all developers regardless of size or budget.

“Our mission is to democratize access to safe, age-appropriate experiences online by providing an industry-wide, cross-platform solution that is cost-effective for developers and simple for players,” said Donovan. “We hope to retire the stalwart ‘I confirm I am over 13’ pop-up and convoluted parent onboarding process to the pages of history.”

The company’s core mission of increasing access to meaningful compliance comes from personal experience. Donovan has been an attorney for nearly a decade and a half. A significant portion of his practice at Latham & Watkins focused on big tech data compliance. His fellow cofounders also have similar experience working with top tech and gaming clients.

k-ID has been in early access for the last six months, but the team first began product development 18 months ago. During this time, k-ID has built up its credibility as an independent compliance provider. Now, the company is already working with leading publishers across the U.S., Europe, Japan, Korea, and China.

“It’s been a really accelerated timeline and the reason is because the regulatory tailwinds are really hot,” Donovan said in an interview with GamesBeat. “Kids online privacy and safety is a big focus because it’s so important to get right. We have just dedicated ourselves wholeheartedly to building something and bringing something to market as fast as we can because we think what we’re doing is pretty special.”

Journey to Series A

To fuel its journey, k-ID has raised $5.4 million across pre-seed and seed financing rounds last year. A16z Games Speedrun led the company’s pre-seed round. Konvoy Ventures led k-ID’s follow up seed round with Tirta Ventures participating.

While k-ID is confident in its initial products to deliver a high-quality compliance experience, there’s still room to improve.

Since it began testing with publishers, k-ID has identified more use-cases for its such as helping kids navigate customer support. “More challenges are popping up every day that we didn’t even know existed, but are now getting thrown our way as we’ve laid the foundation to solve more than what we actually set out to do,” said Donovan. “What excites me about the journey towards that Series A is this is the beginning of something that I think is going to be a real sea change. We’re building that industry standard.”

k-ID will debut its products at GDC in San Francisco from March 18-22.