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IN THE DIVIDE between the addictive games today’s children want to play on touch-screen devices and parents’ desire to see their kids learn, there is what Irish games-industry veteran Barry O’Neill likes to refer to as the “sweet spot”.
And it is that zone of “parent-child consensus” that the CEO of Dublin-based StoryToys has aimed to hit with its series of 3D interactive storybooks and gaming apps, which have totalled over 10 million downloads since its first release five years ago.
“We really like to say, OK, let’s look at entertainment first, because you need to engage a child, a child can’t feel that they’re being forced to learn something, and then have a gentle learning underpinning that,” O’Neill told TheJournal.ie.
You are targeting the parent on the app store for sure – how do you target a two-year-old? We tried to get into an application niche at an early stage and tried to differentiate ourselves based on quality, and our reach to a wide audience of parents.”
From pop-up books to caterpillars
The startup began life in 2008 when it was founded by twins Aidan and Kevin Doolan, who built a digital platform for children’s pop-up books.
However its products have since taken on a more game-oriented twist with O’Neill joining at the helm.
Its offices now span three rambling stories above a shopfront in the Dublin city centre, where scenes from children’s classics like Eric Carle’s Very Hungry Caterpillar play out across the battalions of computer monitors set up for its 25 staff.
O’Neill, who sold a previous venture he co-founded, Upstart Games, for €11.5 million in 2006, said StoryToys had very deliberately aimed at creating apps for a narrow group – children aged three and seven.
“Particularly if you’re a startup, you need to find a focus,” he said.
I think we felt that there was a strong opportunity with the iPad because touch kind of changed everything in the learning space – no one knew what a barrier the mouse was to a child interacting with a screen until it was taken away.”
No replacement for books
Its apps vary from the strongly educational, like the counting-based Farm 123, to games based on BBC’s Chuggington series, one of several licences the company has managed to secure.
In the case of Carle’s 1969 favourite, O’Neill said StoryToys didn’t set out to replace the original book – rather to create something new based on the much-loved concept.
The book is probably the best version of the original story. But chances are parents will already have the book so do they want the same experience again on the screen? We try to give them a different experience.”
In March the company took home the digital award at the Bologna children’s book fair, the world’s top event for the industry, for its My Very Hungry Caterpillar app.
It has so far raised €2.25 million in venture capital from backers including Enterprise Ireland, the AIB Seed Capital Fund and Leaf Investments, the technology-financing arm of Irish education publisher Folens.
O’Neill said StoryToys was now looking to expand its products to cater to a wider range of age groups as part of a platform that families would use over several years, rather than making one-off app purchases.
With that in mind, the company plans to raise more money and set up UK and US offices in the coming year.
We are at the start of an industry shakeout as happens when you have too many content providers targeting too few consumers – we have started to see some consolidation in our industry… thankfully we’ve been doing pretty well,” O’Neill said.
This month, as part of TheJournal.ie’s ongoing startup and small and medium enterprise (SME) focus, we are looking at the parenting industry.
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Great to see President Clinton looking so well at 71 after all the stories about I’ll health in recent years.
@Donal Hanley: just heard him on the radio, he doesn’t sound that well
@Donal Hanley: He looks ghastly.
Why was Denis O’Brien at the event?
@Michael Lang: well, there goes the “comment closed” train if anyone answers that!
@Gulliver Foyle: FG supporters always go very quiet and slightly menacing if I raise Denis O’Brien in polite company.
@Michael Lang: O’Brien is good friends with the Clintons.
@Daniel Donovan: and did Denis O’Brien play a role in the Good Friday Agreement?
@Michael Lang: No! Try Haiti. The Clinton Foundation. Donations. Contracts. The lack of rebuilding in Haiti despite millions pouring in is sickening. Bill Clinton was appointed to spearhead the re development. Not a lot has been done.
@Michael Lang: Quiet and menacing account tje same time? That’s quote a feat.
@John Campbell: And lowry still has his seat. what’s wrong with the voters in tipperary north?
@Michael Lang: he sorted the boys out with mobile phones
3 items with Billy Clinton in the journal in the one day! Is he thinking of running for Micheal D’s job
All this back slapping is vomit enducing, there maybe peace “of sorts” but the inherent despising of both communicaties of each other is palpable. The cost of maintaining this farcical truce has been obscene, either through outrageous subsidising or schemes that earn trouble makers vast sums to behave themselves. Interesting also, Clinton and Ahern taking all the credit, both of dubious and flawed character.
@Joseph Dempsey: ask the people who weren’t murdered over the last 20 years if they think it was worth it.
@Joseph Dempsey: I was sceptical at the time and I voted against it. I grew up in the border region and wasn’t happy that men who had murdered people I knew were going to be freed from prison after serving very little time. But while that still bothers me I am happy to say that I was wrong for voting no because the positives have far outweighed the negatives and peace has lasted. I didn’t think it would.
The right politicians were in power at the right time. No way would Trump, May, Leo, O’Neill and Foster have had the balls or the know-how to do what those guys did. The current crop would never even have gotten around a table.
Yea it was a fantastic agreement but something new is needed, the shower up the road care more for Language Acts, Flags and Parades than governing. The Bomb maybe out of politics up there but the two communities still have major issues with each other.
We need the middle ground to rise again up there or a party that is not stuck in the past and can attract voters from both sides.
@Philip Morgan: The middle ground is knowing how better Ireland would be as one sovereign nation, recognising the diversity of cultures and working hard to make Ireland a better place for everyone. One hundred years on from partition we must count the cost of division and look to a better future. No point in celebrating anything until we recognise the mistakes made by earlier generations and make an effort to fix Ireland.
Tells a terrible analogy & manages to spoil black panther at the same time. Keep on trucking bill
This is what my college fees are going towards? Joke…
tiresome back slapping pike of self congratulatory nonsense, however bill at least managed to stay awake. Just curious has anyone noticed, nothing has actually REALLY changed. Bertie has some neck all the same, at least clinton was gracious enough to mention both John Major and Albert Reynolds, both of whom actually started the process, mean while outside, bigoted Peter Robinson couldn’t contain his hatred “how’s the missus Peter? still got a large small on her face??
I don’t watch many films, can anyone expand on the why bill is like a panther who’s specific colour is blank, unlike all the other panthers I’ve seen :-/
have your say