Charlie Pothecary C06 and Chris Miller F06, both Old Canfordians from the class of 2006, have remained best friends since their days at Canford. Their shared adventures, from traveling the world together to attending university and living in London, eventually led them to co-found their own tech company, Becon. Frustrated by the limitations of existing location-sharing apps, which offered little more than a simple on/off feature with no real safety options, Charlie and Chris set out to create a versatile, family-focused live location and safety app that could adapt to the unique needs of each family member at any stage of their lives.

Becon empowers users by allowing them to monitor specific journeys or activities—such as walking, cycling, running, hiking, or skiing—and instantly alerts family members if anything unusual occurs. The app tracks journey history and live location, ensuring loved ones are kept safe. Even if users temporarily disable live location for privacy, Becon continues to protect them until they safely reach their destination. Now, Charlie and Chris are raising funds to develop and launch a new version of the app in 2025, aiming to further enhance its capabilities.

If you'd like to support Charlie and Chris in their mission to deliver the best family location and safety app in the world, please reach out to Charlie directly at charlie@becontheapp.com.