From underserved communities needing more support with kids' education, to
struggling to preserve the memories of passed loved ones. In our latest release of #WeArePlay stories, we’re celebrating the inspiring founders who
identified problems around them and made apps or games to solve them.
Starting with Maria, Annmaria and Dennis from Minnesota,
USA - founders of 7 Generation Games. Growing up as a Latina in rural North Dakota,
Maria wanted to build something inspired by her experiences and help support the education gap
in underserved communities. She teamed up with her mom AnnMaria, a teacher and computer
programmer, and software developer Dennis, to set up 7 Generation Games. They make educational
games – in English, Spanish and indigenous languages – to improve math skills of Hispanic and
Native American children. Making Camp Ojibwe is a village-building simulation where players
earn points by answering math and social studies questions. Now with multiple titles, their
games are proven to improve children’s school results.
Next, David, Arman & Hayk from Armenia - founders
of Zoomerang. After uploading his music online, David got limited
views because his video editing wasn’t engaging. It was his passion for music that led him to
start Zoomerang with co-founders Arman and Hayk. They created a platform where content
creators could get editing templates for their videos, allowing thousands to grow their brand
and vivify their content.
Next, Rama from Jordan - founder of Little Thinking Minds. When she and her friend and co-founder
Lamia had their first boys, they struggled to find resources to teach their children Arabic.
So, they utilized their background in film production and started making children’s videos in
Arabic in their backyards. When they held a screening at a local cinema, over 500 parents and
children came to watch it, and they had to screen it multiple times. A few years later and the
content is now digitized in a series of apps used in schools of 10 countries. The most
popular, I Read Arabic, has educational videos, books, games, and a dashboard for teachers to
track students' progress.
Last but not least, Prakash from South Africa - founder
of ForKeeps. When Prakash’s sister passed away, his nieces longed to
hear her voice again and keep her memory alive. When his father died, he felt the same and
regretted not having all his photos and messages in one place. This inspired Prakash and his
co-founders to create ForKeeps: a platform for preserving a person’s legacy with photo albums,
stories, and voice messages. Through the app, people can feel their loved one’s presence after
they're gone. The Forever Album tool also allows the audience to share and celebrate special
occasions in real time. Now Prakash’s goal is to help more people across different cultures
around the world record memories for their loved ones.
Check out their stories
now at g.co/play/weareplay and keep an eye out for more stories coming
soon.
