Todaybreak: Impact Through Innovation

Founding a tech startup is hard work—enough for a lifetime for most. But in 2018, Kirstin Butcher, founder of Australian tech company Genvis, saw a crisis she couldn’t ignore. More than 100 women were murdered by current or former partners that year in Australia alone. She knew technology had the power to save lives. Despite Genvis being a pre-revenue startup with fewer than ten employees, she rallied her small team around a bold mission: to build a technology-driven solution that could offer real protection to those at risk. That idea became the Safe with Milli Pilot.

The OG Safe with Milli Pilot

In 2019, the first Safe With Milli Pilot launched, introducing the Milli app. Using Genvis’ computer vision technology, Milli linked to home security cameras, instantly alerting users when someone approached their property. At a time when home security cameras were rare, this was groundbreaking. With most domestic homicides happening at home, the app had the potential to save lives. Genvis fully funded the app’s development and six-month pilot, partnering with WA Police Force, the Women’s Council, and the Lucy Saw Centre’s Safe at Home Team. Over the next five years, Genvis poured resources into Milli, expanding access through additional service providers, including long-time partner Anglicare WA.

Milli was never about making money—it was about making a difference. What started as an urgent response to a crisis soon became deeply embedded in Genvis’ identity. The team saw the tangible impact of their work, reinforcing their belief in technology as a force for good. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Genvis expanded its mission, delivering mission-critical government services to protect communities. Yet the question remained: how could they do more to address family and domestic violence?

A worsening crisis demands leadership

By 2023, the crisis had only deepened. While Genvis’ public safety platform was already serving government agencies, a critical gap remained: service providers and agencies lacked the ability to safely share data, coordinate responses, and deliver client-centred support in ways that truly met the needs of impacted people. A crisis demands leadership—Genvis stepped up.

Kirstin led a small team to engage deeply with survivors, service providers, government agencies, and sector experts. They studied government white papers, national plans, ombudsman reports, coronial inquests, academic research, and survivor accounts. These insights shaped the evolution of Milli app 2.0 and an expanded suite of technology solutions, culminating in the launch of the new Safe with Milli Pilot in 2024 across Western Australia and Ontario, Canada.

Todaybreak is on a mission

The pilot gained momentum. It became clear that the work had outgrown Genvis alone—and rightfully so. A problem this vast demands a collective response. To create lasting impact at scale, a new approach was needed—one that could rally community support, secure sustainable funding, and engage a broad coalition of stakeholders beyond what a for-profit company could achieve.

Genvis’ leadership recognized that the time was right to establish Todaybreak, a nonprofit dedicated to using technology to protect and empower vulnerable people. The Safe with Milli Program transitioned from Genvis to Todaybreak, marking the beginning of an even greater mission.

Todaybreak is proof that vision, action, and determination can drive transformation. What started as one company’s response to a crisis has grown into something far bigger: a lasting commitment to using technology for meaningful change—for all.