A South African startup named Nooksy is connecting family members living far away from each other through storytelling.
Nooksy, which launched in 2018, has created a mobile app that allows two parties to select a book and read together from the same “reading room.” Children, for instance, can read along with their grandparents even though they live miles apart.
“We also created a web app that allows distant family members to join the reading room without having to install the app. That means they can join the call with just one tap, ” said Yon Kahlon, the startup’s founder.
Nooksy has so far been self-funded but it has seen positive reception in the market. Kahlon told Disrupt Africa that their efforts this year have been on driving users to the app, which is now getting 1,500 new users per month.
According to the founders, Nooksy seeks to be impactful, with the stories chosen to appear on the platform focusing on vital life lessons.
“There is endless research showing the importance of reading aloud. Since time is limited with the faraway family member, we’ve carefully selected books that tackle important topics like kindness, living your values, and much more. This really creates a learning environment when chatting with kids, and involves faraway family members in the child’s developmental journey.”
The app’s unique proposition is both the video call option and the ability to load books and read them together. The innovativeness of this Nooksy meets a need that many families around the world have for a long time sought ways of working around.
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