The Israeli based startup Tawkon developed proprietary technology to detect levels of radiation emanating from mobile phones in their surroundings and while having a call. The company that got fame for having its app rejected by Apple, has now secured a second seed round of $700,000 led by Israeli angels including thetime (operated by Ilan Shiloah, Chairman of McCann Erickson Israel and Nir Tarlovsky) as well as Zvika Barinboim. This brings Tawkon’s funding to $1.5 million to date after previously raising funding from TASC, a management consulting firm, Don Perrin, one of Zipcar’s early investors and Yossi Sandler, an Angel investor in Yedda (sold to AOL).
So how does Tawkon work? the app has two modes: predition and call.
Prediction mode: tawkon helps users map their home or office to see where a phone call would expose them to higher radiation levels. It uses patent-pending technology (Real-time Radiation Indication) that collects RF-related data extracted from the mobile device that takes into account several factors:
- Phone SAR – different for each phone model (W/Kg)
- Dynamic environmental conditions – rural versus urban area, mobility, distance from Cellular Base Station (BTS/Node-B), terrain, etc
- Personal phone usage – the way the user holds the phone, distance from the user’s head/body, etc.
In call mode, tawkon prompts users to take the easiest precautionary measures to minimize radiation given real-time environmental conditions and phone usage by showing users the level of radiation, and instructing them to hold the phone differently or using a headset.
The startup seems to be placing a lot of importance to an announcement made by WHO this May, stating the potential connection between mobile phone radiation and cancer.
Gil Friedlander, CEO & co-founder of Tawkon, said in the company’s press release:
“… Mobile phones are an integral part of our life, and tawkon‘s solution allows mobile phone users to continue to enjoy their phones responsibly. The tawkon solution is already being used by UCLA in epidemiological research. We hope to contribute the data tawkon collects from our users (who remain anonymous) to future research of the health impact of mobile radiation.”
The Tawkon app is currently available for download on BlackBerry, selected Android devices and jail broken iPhones via Cydia.
Check out the Tawkon in action on this video:
I'm a former general partner at google ventures, head of Google for Entrepreneurs in Europe and founding head of Campus London, Google's first physical hub for startups.
I'm also the founder of Techbikers, a non-profit bringing together the startup ecosystem on cycling challenges in support of Room to Read. Since inception in 2012 we've built 11 schools and 50 libraries in the developing world.
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