Darify

Darify offers vulnerable young people a listening ear in a safe online environment

Anonymous, stigma-breaking, accessible, and preventative. Darify aims to be the first social medium that helps young people by providing tools early on and supporting them in a way that suits them. In doing so, Darify is committed to reducing waiting times for youth support.

And that is much needed. In Twente, 1 in 3 young people sometimes think about suicide. They deal with eating disorders, divorced parents, feelings of loneliness, or depression. With such issues, the threshold for seeking help is high. Founder Danny Hoendervangers knows all about it. When he was 23, he was a victim of senseless violence, which resulted in extreme, chronic pain. Those symptoms persisted for 16 years before he received a diagnosis. All that time, Danny didn't want to show his vulnerability and struggled in silence with the challenges the pain threw at him in every area of his life. He is doing well again now. Moreover, his own story gave him a clear mission: to help young people who—just like him back then—could use a listening ear and, if desired, help. Gradually, that mission is taking shape, and by the end of 2024, his app, Darify, is set to launch.

Developed for young people, by young people

"Depression, loneliness, addiction, parents getting divorced, or domestic violence—these aren't stories you easily bring up with your friends or a mentor at school," Danny knows from the many conversations he has had with young people. "A first step toward help is easier if it can be done anonymously. That makes it accessible. And there are other needs that young people struggling with life on a daily basis have. They are looking for answers to questions. Or they want to share their interests with someone. That is why we developed Darify in collaboration with young people. The University of Twente, the GGD, behavioral scientists, orthopedagogues, (care) professionals, and several IT companies have also contributed to where Darify stands today."

An intensive research and validation process has resulted in six pillars that form the foundation of Darify:

• Young people can ask questions and seek help anonymously (target group 13-27 years old).

• Young people remain in control of their own challenges and data.

• Darify provides a confidential online environment where privacy is guaranteed.

• Darify enables peer-to-peer contact to exchange experiences and interests.

• Role models and positive influencers can be consulted via the platform.

• The app provides access to national initiatives, as well as more local ones, to enable the connection between online and offline if the young person wishes.

‍Security regarding sensitive information

"Darify's success isn't based on assumptions," Danny explains. "We built several prototypes, tested them with our target audience on social media, and the conversion rate for our latest prototype was high: over 9%. This exceeded our expectations and shows we're on the right track. We are currently migrating the platform from Google Cloud to Fundaments' sovereign cloud. Our data is currently hosted on a server in Ireland, which doesn't provide sufficient security regarding online safety, privacy, and the personal data of young people."

We cannot and will not go live without that guarantee. I discussed this with Raoul Werger, CEO of Fundaments. He told me their server space is located on Dutch soil, which aligns with our third pillar: a safe online environment for young people. He then offered to provide server space pro bono. I am sincerely grateful to Raoul for this opportunity and for all his valuable conversations and advice, both professional and personal. It says a lot about him as a person that he wants to contribute in this way. I also want to express my gratitude to the rest of the Fundaments team; they are always helpful and accessible. I look forward to our continued collaboration with great confidence. Thanks to our partnership with Fundaments, Darify is ready for the future."

Attention partners and investors

This kind of support brings the launch of Darify much closer. And we want that to happen as soon as possible, as society seems to be crying out for it. "We are in talks with several educational institutions in the region," says Danny, "to give students access to the platform. They also recognize the need for a tool like Darify within education. We are thrilled that they are thinking along with us and that their interest has been piqued." The police have also shown interest in the platform. "By working with socially engaged influencers, we have reached over 750,000 young people in the Netherlands pre-launch. Now is the time to dot the i's and cross the t's. If you are reading this and think, 'I'd love to contribute to that,' I warmly invite you to contact me. We are looking for partners and investors who care about the well-being of young people to help take the platform to the next level. And for universities, colleges, vocational schools, and municipalities, we believe: Together, we can make a difference for young people."

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Darify contact information

Danny Hoendervangers

Phone: +31 682 734 934

Email: danny@darify.io

P.S. More information is available upon request