Philippine-Made Speech App Aims to Help Children with Autism Globally
When addressing the needs of people with disabilities, innovations often arise from a personal connection with someone facing these challenges. This is the case for the Mylo Speech Buddy, an innovative speech development app designed to assist children with speech delays, especially those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The app, available for download on both the App Store and Google Play platforms, was launched last April, in time for Autism Awareness Day.
The app has video modules and other features that were developed in collaboration with speech pathologists, occupational therapists, and other medical professionals who are familiar with the unique needs of children with ASD. Most of the app’s advanced content needs to be accessed through a paid subscription. The app modules also require parents or guardians to be thoroughly involved in the activities.
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Vincent Rocha, CEO and president of Mylo Speech Buddy, formed the company in July 2023 with the help of businessman Enrico Aquino and filmmaker Mark Meily.
According to the app's website, they and other team members are mostly parents who have personal experience raising children with ASD and have experience in content development for preschool and special education. Rocha has a son who was diagnosed with ASD at age two. He also remembers during his school days having classmates and friends who apparently had ASD, but did not have the benefit of assistance programs such as Mylo.
“I think it was the personal connection to the founder na do or die, this won't fail. We will do everything in our power. Extension siya ng anak ko eh (It's an extension of my son),” Rocha said in an interview with GMA.
Mylo was one of the four businesses selected to represent the Philippines at the Collision Tech Conference at Toronto, Canada in July this year. The event featured 500 startups from over 30 countries and provided a platform for Mylo Speech Buddy to embark on international expansion.
Mylo Speech Buddy CEO and founder Vincent Rocha (right) with other Filipino startup founders at Collision Tech Conference in Canada
Mylo won first place and secured a pitch prize of $2,500 at the ARISE Plus Ye! Boost Accelerator Program Cohort 3, funded by the European Union and led by the International Trade Centre, in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Competitiveness Innovation Group and QBO Innovation. This prize would aid greatly in the company’s expansion plans.
It was also a finalist on the 9th season of CNN Philippines’ “The Final Pitch,” a contender in the Department of Trade and Industry backed-SLINGSHOT x Venture Pilipinas Pitch Competition, and first runner-up at the PLDT and Smart Startup Innovation Challenge.
While serious about business, Rocha and his team are equally committed to supporting children with ASD. In a YouTube interview, Rocha stated that Mylo aims to increase awareness and acceptance of people with disabilities.
Achieving international expansion would not only mean business success for the organization but also enable it to reach and help more people with ASD or speech difficulties worldwide through the app’s services.
“We are working on localizing our content for international markets to make Mylo Speech Buddy accessible worldwide,” Rocha added.
