Chiku : Small sounds. Big breakthroughs

Chiku is an AI speech therapy app that turns evidence-based practice into playful learning helping kids speak clearly, parents track their progress and therapists scale their impact

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Inspiration

Over 6 million children in the U.S. and 250 million globally struggle with speech and communication disorders. Children from low-income families face higher risks due to limited resources. We were inspired to build Chiku to close this gap by reimagining speech therapy as accessible, engaging, and equitable for every child.

What it does

Chiku is an AI-powered speech therapy app for children that transforms clinically backed exercises into fun, interactive experiences.

Children engage with games, stories, and real-life simulations while practicing speech in a way that feels like play, not therapy.

How we built it

  • Frontend: React Native for a cross-platform experience
  • Backend: Supabase. In the future, the plan is to use AWS for secure cloud infrastructure
  • AI & Speech Processing: Integrated with Claude for intelligent feedback and content adaptation
  • Compliance: Designed with HIPAA and COPPA best practices in mind
  • Gamification: Custom modules simulate real-life scenarios for natural language learning

Challenges we ran into

  • Building a child-friendly UX that balances fun and therapeutic structure
  • Ensuring speech feedback felt encouraging, not punitive
  • Maintaining privacy and safety standards while using real-time voice input
  • Creating engaging simulations that map to specific speech goals
  • Speech-to-text in the native form is not suitable for our use case and misses many nuances like pauses, stutters, and pronunciation.
  • Continuous monitoring and iterations of eval prompts for the AI

Accomplishments we’re proud of

  • Developed a working prototype in under 48 hours
  • Created gamified therapy exercises backed by clinical research
  • Integrated live AI feedback to personalize each child’s journey

What we learned

  • Real-world impact starts with empathy—understanding not just the problem, but the people affected
  • Children respond better to meaningful interaction than rote repetition
  • AI can be a powerful tool only when built with care, safety, and clarity
  • Accessibility is not just about cost—it’s about context, language, and support

What’s next for Chiku: *Small sounds. Big breakthroughs.*

  • Partnering with speech therapists to co-design clinical modules
  • Piloting with schools and early intervention programs
  • Expanding to support multiple languages and dialects
  • Strengthening our AI model with more diverse voice data—ethically sourced and child-safe

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