Kinsome

As promised/warned, here's some real footage of our new Kin Qs feature in action with my family. As many of you know, my kids live 2 flights of stairs from my parents, but even in this unusual (nowadays) living arrangement where the generations quite literally can't avoid each other, my kids use it daily (in part because they know they're sleeping on the street if they don't, but still...) and this new feature has helped prompt all kinds of stories and memories from their grandparents that they've never heard. If it can work wonders like this for kids under the same roof as their grandparents, we're hopeful the impact only grows when grandparents live farther away.

Now live: Kin-Qs! I've been excited about this feature since the earliest days of Kinsome, and it hasn't disappointed as I've tested it with my own kids over the last few weeks. We've spent a lot of time at Kinsome working to make it fun for kids to share updates from their day-to-day lives with grandparents. By creating a conversational experience where they can talk out loud about what they've been up to with our in-app robot, Kinzey (and sprinkling in some game mechanics), we've turned these updates from a chore to daily highlight. While Kinzey already remembers what a given has shared and uses that to personalize future chats to be more engaging, we have only just begun to explore how AI can actually facilitate better, more meaningful conversation with grandparents. Kin-Qs leverage the details of a particular day's update from a grandkid to suggest questions to ask about their grandparents' lives. As much as we might wish our kids were inherently interested in the details of their grandparents' younger lives, unfortunately that's usually not the case for young kids. But by grounding these questions in things they've just experienced, the stories become relevant and serve to remind them that their grandparents have shared many overlapping experiences in their lives. Even though our goal is to take the work of facilitating the bonding between their parents and kids off the plate of overburdened parents, these memories from my parents and in-laws have become highlights of my week...and with each day's adventures, my kids provide new fodder for more stories. Maybe someday we'll collect all these memories in a book or movie (or maybe Kinsome will do it for me ?? ), but I get much more excited about the role they can play today in bringing my kids and parents/in-laws closer together in the present. If you've got young(ish) kids (aged 6-11), give it a try and let me know your thoughts!

?? Tech innovator Eben Pingree shares his family’s experience with #Alzheimers and how his new app, Kinsome, can help grandkids and grandparents feel closer. The platform is how Pingree along with cofounders Michael Gerbush, Ashley Hocking and Brianne Baker hope to take a bite out of that loneliness epidemic. ???Read the full story here: https://lnkd.in/gWW7JnS5

I’m thrilled to announce that I’m joining Eben Pingree, Michael Gerbush, and the early team at Kinsome, a digital platform that strengthens relationships between grandparents and grandkids, especially when they live far away. In my time at StoryCorps, I was lucky to partner with impactful mission-driven organizations to foster connection through meaningful conversations, and I’m excited to explore how Kinsome’s work might align too! Do you work with overly-busy parents (or maybe you are one yourself!), grandparents eager for more connection, or children aged 6-11? If so, I’d love to hear your feedback on how Kinsome is trying to foster stronger intergenerational connections while freeing up parents’ time. Kinsome takes the burden of playing middleman off parents' plates by providing a highly trained conversational facilitator, Kinzey, our friendly AI-powered robot. Kinzey makes it fun for kids to share more of their lives with their grandparents every day and learn about their family history in return. If you’d like to learn more or explore ways we can collaborate, feel free to reach out!

Today’s my mom’s birthday! She lives across the country, so we won't get to see her in person, but this morning my kids were thrilled to jump on Kinsome to send her a birthday message. Even when I sometimes forget to call ??, my kids are eager to share their updates with her. I've been impressed by how naturally it's kept them connected to each other's daily lives. It was great catching up with Eben Pingree earlier this week, and appreciate him letting me work out of the Kinsome offices for the day. He’s building something meaningful, and it's always inspiring to see people creating impactful products.

?? Boston, Here We Come ?? ? ?? We’re gearing up to have a wicked good time at our upcoming FamTech in-person Meetup in Boston. Join us for an exclusive gathering designed for Innovative FamTech Companies, top-tier Investors, Policy Experts, and invaluable ecosystem Partners. ?? This event presents an exciting opportunity to network and collaborate with other FamTech professionals in Boston! Don’t miss out on the chance to come together, connect, and have a great time while expanding your FamTech knowledge. ?? When: Wednesday, October 16, 2024 ?? Time: 5:30 - 7:30 PM EST ?? Where: Location Available Upon Registration ?? FamTech Fit: All Stages ?? RSVP Now ?? Huge thank you to our local host, Kinsome, and our sponsor, Justworks, for helping make this event possible!

It’s not about the story -inspired by the great work Eben Pingree is doing at Kinsome you all should check them out.

Thank you to Healthline Media for covering the Kinsome story today, and particularly the health impact we're striving for: https://lnkd.in/eD6z5a4r In our experience, despite the Surgeon General's best efforts, the idea that social connection is a major health driver hasn't sunken in for most people. The disconnection that the pandemic highlighted has been chalked up as a temporary aberration, not something worth dissecting now that everything is back to "normal." But especially as people age into their 70s and beyond, social connection can fade quickly. Younger family members have formed the foundation of elder socialization since the dawn of human existence, but in a world where families are more physically spread out than ever before, we haven't figured out how to keep that foundation strong across the miles. Similarly, young kids need positive attention and unconditional love from adults, but at a time when the Surgeon General is also calling parental stress levels a public health concern, many aren't getting enough from their parents alone. Again, over the course of human history, grandparents have been a big part of the solution on this front, but we're not effectively facilitating that connection for remote grandparents ye You don't have to squint too hard to see the opportunity here. While studies have shown that the remote work flexibility the pandemic ushered in has led to a trend of people moving back closer to home and extended families, that's not a realistic, or even desirable, solution for many. With the right technological approach, we should be able to digitally bridge the gaps between these generations who desperately need more connection. While video call tools are examples of technology that can help, most "social" tech platforms have only driven the wedge between generations in further. We think we've found an approach that keeps real, human connection as the focus, but leverages cutting edge technology to facilitate its flourishing. Please help us spread the word, and if you've got young kids (6-11), we'd love for you to give it a try and share your feedback.