Our Story

A letter from the founders.

The idea for Cordee began in late 2023. At the time, our families lived side by side in Cheshire, Hollie and I with our three children and George and Chloe with their two. All was rosy until a business opportunity took Hollie and me down to Dorset. Overnight, five children who had grown up together were suddenly apart.

Like many parents, we made a conscious decision not to give our children smartphones. But that left us with a problem: how do our kids stay connected without them?

We tried everything. iPads. iPods. Even Amazon Echo devices (yes, really). None of it worked the way we needed. It was either too complicated, too open, or simply not built for children to use independently. Eventually, distance started to take its toll.

Two years later, during a conversation about our own relationship with technology, Hollie made an offhand comment:

A screen-free way for kids to stay connected, while giving parents full control over who they can talk to, when, and for how long.

Early in the journey, Ben joined the team. As a parent navigating split residency, the problem resonated immediately. He brought energy, technical expertise, and a deep understanding of how important consistent, safe communication is for families living apart.

Together, we're building something we believe really matters.

Cordee is our way of giving children a safe pathway to their own digital identity. It's a hark back to the good old days, when communication was voice to voice. When you'd sneak round the corner to hide a conversation from prying parents. When connection meant something more than a message on a screen.

It's also about education. Helping our children understand what real communication looks like: human to human, with all its nuance, emotion, and complexity.