Logan, Utah – March 26, 2025
Bleeped, a Utah State University-based company, has a mission to make digital media more accessible to younger audiences. Using a custom AI model, Bleeped automatically censors certain words and phrases from audio files, allowing users to customize their listening experience through the Bleeped app.
The Utah State University startup was awarded the People’s Choice Online Voting Award ($1,000 award) at the 2025 Tim Draper Utah Entrepreneurial Challenge.
The inspiration behind Bleeped
Founder and CEO Benjamin Burns developed the idea for Bleeped after returning from the LDS mission. He recalls the pivotal moment that sparked the concept.
“My two sisters were watching YouTube videos and the content itself was fine, but the people in the video suddenly started to vow a lot.
With a background in programming from high school and college, Burns decided to incorporate the problems into his own hands.
“I had experience in coding, so I thought, ‘I can start developing this.’ ”
Build momentum through competition and funding
Bleeped already secures funding and recognition through the competition of various entrepreneurs.
“Last year, we competed in the Utah Entrepreneurial Challenge and received the People’s Choice Award, providing our first funding,” Burns shared. “We also came in first place at the Shark Tank event in Utah, which helped us financially. Beyond that, we received support from us and a few investors.”
The company is currently exploring venture capital opportunities.
“We are in discussion with a variety of venture capital companies and are preparing to start a funding round soon.”
How Bleeding Works
Bleeped leverages its own custom AI model along with third-party models to ensure high accuracy.
“We developed our own AI system, but we reconfirmed the results using external models,” Burns explained. “The majority of the time, once you’ve processed the audio file, it’s cost-effective and there’s no need to analyze it again.”
This platform allows users to personalize content moderation settings.
“The user can choose what they want to filter. If the audio file is already processed, others can listen to the censored version without any additional processing.”
User Experience and Customization
Designed with family in mind, Bleeped offers a fully customizable experience through the mobile app.
“We don’t tell users what they should listen, what they shouldn’t, they just provide the tools,” Burns said. “For example, parents can create profiles for children with different settings. Every 8-year-old may have removed their vows, but teenagers can be more flexible.”
Expand to more digital media
Currently, Bleeped supports audiobook filtering through AudioBooksnow, but the company has ambitious plans to expand.
“We want to integrate with platforms like YouTube, Spotify, Instagram, Tiktok and other so users can view content without encountering oaths, violence or explicit material.”
Bleeped has also been debated as a major audiobook provider.
“We are in talks with Audible, Libby and Audiobooks.com. We will announce a new partnership when the mobile app launches this summer.”
Subscription Model and Business Strategy
Bleeped works on a subscription-based model similar to Audible.
“Users pay a monthly fee, which includes credits to access the audiobook,” Burns explained. “Pre-selling price is $10 per month. This includes one audiobook credit, 10% off annual plans and early app access.”
In addition to direct sales, Bleeped explores a business-to-business (B2B) referral model.
“If users select audiobooks via Bleeped, they can redirect to platforms like Audible or Audiobooksnow and earn fees from referrals.”
From classroom concepts to growing startups
Bleeped was born from Utah State University’s Entrepreneurship Course.
“I am pursuing minors in Utah. Through these classes, I met Josh Bosley, CTO who previously founded the web development company Rain Room Creative. I was also connected to CMO Akira Muramoto.”
The team then expanded to include full stack developers and graphic designers working on mobile apps.
As Burns says, the company’s goal is simple:
“I’m excited to revolutionize digital media and provide families and individuals with the ability to consume content on their own terms.”
For more information about Bleeped, click here.
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