With the abundance of content we can choose from nowadays, it’s no wonder most people struggle with the amount of time they spend on their devices. In particular, social media and gaming apps have created a screen time problem that is becoming increasingly apparent among younger generations. But Grogo, a startup with an innovative “edutainment” app, is aiming to put a stop to mindless scrolling.
Co-Founders Richard Marra (CEO) and Brad Brinegar (CMO) and came up with the idea for Grogo after noticing their own children were glued to their phones all the time. Marra and Brinegar realized there was not an optimal screen time solution available.
Brinegar said if children are going to use their phones anyway, Grogo’s app creates a more valuable experience than mindless scrolling.
The app is in beta testing right now and will launch in the Apple Store and on Google Play this January. It incorporates “snackable” learning, meaning the screen breaks it imposes are served in bite-sized portions throughout the day. These “snacks” provide brain-boosting breaks to make users more aware of their screen time habits.
“If we can get [kids] to at least stop, do something positive and grow from it, then maybe they’ll actually start to develop better screen habits,” Brinegar said.
He added that Grogo does not replace any existing app, but rather fills a hole in the market that nobody has yet addressed. To set up an account, a parent can type in their child’s name and grade level. They can then choose how often they want their child to have educational breaks by selecting 15-, 30-, 45-, or 60-minute intervals.
Five minutes before a scheduled Grogo break, a notification will appear on the child’s screen. They can choose to click the notification and go directly to Grogo, or it will send them directly to the app once their scrolling time is up. The actual break, meanwhile, will involve the app posing questions from across categories like math, science, English, history or pop culture (as selected by parents). There is also an option to have the questions vary between some or all of these categories.
One example of a question might be, “What planet is closest to our sun?” The child will have options to choose from. If they choose an incorrect answer, Grogo will provide another question.
To keep users engaged, the app adjusts the difficulty of questions based on a child’s answers. Essentially, correct answers lead to more difficult follow-ups. Once the child answers enough questions correctly, they can swipe up and return to what they were doing—until the next scheduled break.
QUICK BITS
Startup: Grogo, Inc.
Co-Founders: Richard Marra (CEO), Brad Brinegar (CMO)
Founded: 2023
Location: Durham, NC & Chicago, IL
Website: www.grogo.com
“We’re getting them out of that doom loop, and they’re having the opportunity to learn something,” Brinegar said.
There is a $190 million total addressable market (TAM) in the parental control market alone, Brinegar said. But the opportunity is much bigger than that, because Grogo is tapping into the edutainment market, which equates to billions of dollars. Grogo uses a subscription model and will market the product in different cities.
“We’re going to be using influencers that have anywhere between 10,000 and half a million followers,” Brinegar said.
He added that although Grogo is in the device management market and educates children, it also helps kids build up their self-esteem.
