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TECH | Q3 2024
Nurturing something new Tech entrepreneur Roger Egan is looking to fill a market gap with his latest build—and he needs kids entertainment brand partners to get it to market. BY: RYAN TUCHOW urture is a new app that blends active TV watching, gaming and education— and the fledgling Washington-based edtech company behind it is keen to fire it up with bespoke content featuring characters and shows that kids already love. Serial entrepreneur Roger Egan started conceptualizing the Nurture app—which is
initially aimed at kids ages four to seven— during COVID, when his sons (who were five and nine at the time) had to learn from home. Realizing that his kids weren’t building fundamental life skills, including critical thinking and creativity, he identified an opportunity for a platform that provides a more personalized learning experience, where TV viewing
transitions seamlessly into playing games on a phone or tablet. How it works in practice is that kids start off watching short animated videos on their TVs. Then as part of the narrative, characters break the fourth wall to “call” a friend, reaching out to viewers on their mobile devices for help with challenges. Kids can complete these fun tasks—which range from puzzles and navigation games, to mindfulness exercises—by themselves or with a friend of their own. A core part of Nurture’s go-to-market strategy is to license third-party characters and brands. The company is actively looking for partners and has had conversations with companies including WildBrain, Nelvana, Cyber Group Studios and Blue Zoo. Each IP will get its own exclusive area on the platform where kids can watch videos and play games featuring the brand’s characters, instead of all the content being lumped together. Nurture says it will initially collaborate with brand partners but produce