Storybird

In terms of the product, I'm not convinced, but as a venture leader, I think Mark Ury is very inspiring. To have already built and sold companies, and work for big name companies already under his belt, means that the person knows what they're doing and is now doing things they are truly interested in that seems to be focusing more on the social value than simply profit. As a language professor I definitely agree with Sarah's comment on the possibilities of this venture, and I would hope to be anywhere near as successful of a venturer. I hope that Mark will be working on other new ventures in the future as well and not just stop with Storybird!

For me this venture is one of the best of the bunch. Children have always been fascinated by stories from Harry Potter to the Hunger Games. In the past, technology did not offer a simple and fun solution for students to be creative and exercise their storytelling muscles. Mark saw a real need for students to be creative and an opportunity to tap into that need. Now companies like Apple are playing catch-up with apps like iBook author.

I think the Storybird is a good example of two different co-founder personalities complimenting each other. I think the success of this company comes from the fact that both Mark and Kaye are able to realize what they are not. The short write up of each co-founder spells out the different strengths they bring to the table and you can see how each compliments the other in a whole business approach.

Let me start by saying, I love this product. Especially as an English teacher, this has the features of a powerful tool to support the development of crucial literacy skills, and in Ontario, most of the overall English curriculum expectations. Over the week, I have been reading some posts about really interesting products and/or services. The information about the founders didn't always spark my "inspiration" meter, though. Today I decided to see what other people use as criteria for "inspirational." Up to this point, I've been using my gut intuition. According to an article published in Forbes, "Bar none, the following are the top three traits you’ll see in people who inspire, enliven, empower and uplift us: 1) They have forged their own authentic path — taken a hard, unpaved road that goes against the grain and demanded a tremendous show of guts, strength, commitment, and perseverance; 2) They are supremely “other-focused” – they derive an enormous sense of satisfaction and reward – and spend most of their professional time and energy — helping other people, or organizations and enterprises, grow and flourish; and 3) They are riveting storytellers. So, do Mark and Kaye meet these criteria? Partially. An authentic path has been formed (although I can't tell if, via Storybird, it was unpaved or difficult). I wouldn't say they are supremely "other-focused" but certainly they are focused on their users' growth and development of literacy skills, creative thinking, etc. This is a for-profit business, however, so I almost wonder if one must be a not-for-profit to qualify as "supremely" other-focused? At least when you're not a multi-billionaire who can channel profits in a philanthropic way without impacting your business growth. They do offer the fundraising option for schools which could contribute to schools flourishing. Of course, this option also provides a revenue stream (70%) to their own business so it can't be considered fully altruistic. Still, it's an exciting option that can give back to schools, create business revenue, and promote user retention. Finally, they are great storytellers. Well, this is their business! If the Vimeo is any indication, the answer here is a resounding yes! Overall, I would say they are inspiring, though perhaps not at 100% in all criteria. Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/kathycaprino/2012/09/25/what-it-really-takes-to-be-inspiring/#77f21908751e

I think Mark and Kaye are positive role models for future entrepreneurs. They both seems to have transformed a personal interest in visual media and design into a career. This career path equipped them with the exposure and professional experience which they then used as a springboard in the development of Storybird.

"teacher gets 30% back from sales… interesting sales model. I wonder how global this product sales can be, storytelling is pretty contextual… "

I really liked the way you made this review personal, and provided perspective using your own experiences and intuition combined with the cold hard facts. We as people are pretty perceptive, and your final thoughts provided a good view on why in addition to the positive market indicators, there is a human connection to why this company should and could grow. Great job on creating a concise and pertinent story about storybird. I personally have tried this site, and found that after being awed by the cool pics it did not have enough freedom to express the story as you wished.

Storybird is a wonderful concept. The ability for the teacher to ask as a "trickster" with technology so the students are learning by creating stories through words and visuals without even realizing this is truly a wonderful idea. It reminds me of a TED Talk done by Ken Robinson, "Do Schools Kill Creativity?" (https://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity?language=en) and how Storybird can bring creativity to the classroom. From a leadership point of view I am impressed with the numbers of stories and educators who are joining into this community. I do have a concern about the "crowdsource" funding side of the project. It is a unique idea of getting the students to create a book, the parents will buy the printed book, and then the teacher gets 30% of the money back to the classroom to invest. From what I have learned in this course so far I do not believe the education market in British Columbia is quite ready to potentially treat the students in a commercial sense..... at least not yet.