As a young child, Toby Brown began experimenting with padlocks. Gradually, he went on to equip his home with alarm systems crafted from paper scraps and wires.
By the time he reached primary school, he had developed game applications involving timetables, which he then marketed back to his teachers in Twickenham, located in west London.
Later on, Toby became a member of Hack Club, an international community for teenage hackers, where he made history as the youngest employee at the age of 13.
Now, at just 16, Toby has landed a $1 million investment deal from Silicon Valley backers for his AI platform, Beem.
He has chosen to delay his GCSE exams to instead focus on expanding his venture in sunny California.
He remarked, “This funding will be tremendously beneficial. I actually received the call on my birthday, making it an exceptional gift.”
“My friends were quite taken aback. I didn’t inform them soon enough, and as the last week of school approached, the news broke out, leading everyone to suddenly ask, ‘Hey, Toby, can I borrow a tenner?'”
“It has been a huge part of my life. I would get up early to work on it, and after school, I would dive right into coding; it consumed my time, and it was tough sometimes to keep my projects to myself.”
Regarding what Beem does, Toby clarifies: “It basically functions as a smart device that fetches files for you; it can access your calendar, and its potential is vast.”
“One scenario I particularly like is if you’re about to go on vacation with family and have booked an Airbnb. Beem can recognize that you haven’t booked your flights yet. It understands your preferences, your budget, and what airline you prefer to use.”
For Toby’s mother, Claire, the source of his coding abilities remains unclear.
“We don’t come from a coding or tech background. I work for the NHS, and my husband’s in marketing; these aren’t fields we know much about,” she explained.
“It was quite surprising for us,” Claire added.
“But he accomplished everything on his own—from assembling his first computer to discovering Hack Club, where he truly found his community.”
Zach Latta, Toby’s mentor and the founder of Hack Club, based in Vermont, immediately recognized Toby’s exceptional talents.
“From the moment you meet Toby, you could sense that he was destined for greatness.
“Hack Club brings together thousands of teenagers globally who are pursuing unconventional paths, and it was evident Toby was primed to take significant steps forward.
“I was not at all surprised to hear about him raising $1 million; it was in the cards,” Mr. Latta expressed.
“It’s thrilling to witness so many remarkable young individuals from London and the UK joining Hack Club; the community is thriving.”
“It’s an exhilarating opportunity,” Toby added. “We have the chance to truly innovate how we interact with technology, and I couldn’t pass that up.”
After his trip to California, Toby hopes to make his way back to London to continue his education.
However, when asked if Beem is poised for world domination, Toby laughs, “World domination, but not in an evil way!”
