Generation Start-up: Dubai's Periscope brings the safety of children's software in focus
18 October, 2020
Smeetha Ghosh-Jorgensen faces a dilemma that lots of parents in the current internet age encounter: safely introducing her son to the digital world.
Hoping to solve the condition by joining an online parents' community and seek advice, she was surprised to find there were too few resources that address the problem of internet safety for children.
While there was an array of edutainment and "KidTech" applications for children of all ages, she realized that that which was missing was a one-stop-shop for concerned mothers who wanted their children to see the best of what the web had to offer, however in a safe manner.
Ms Ghosh-Jorgensen, 39, intends to fix that problem through Periscope Media. The Dubai start-up, where she actually is co-founder and chief executive, plans to create an ecosystem, built around mothers, with a suite of apps for modern-day families in the Mena region.
“I was unhappy with the solutions that are available at this time,” Ms. Ghosh-Jorgensen says.
“Our roadmap of products revolves around our foundation, that is, a network for mothers [for whom] who we intend to co-create all our products for kids [of different ages].”
Ms Ghosh-Jorgensen was created in Bengaluru, India, and moved to Dubai as a teenager. She has called the emirate home for a lot more than 25 years.
Married to a pilot, she's caused global consumer brands for greater than a decade in the UAE and Europe.
However, being an entrepreneur is what she really aspired to be throughout her marketing career.
“I've always had a strong desire to start my very own business, and over a long time and many business ideas later, I finally found ‘the one’,” she says.
The thought of Periscope came during a chat with a friend - now the company’s silent co-founder - about her concerns for children's apps.
The two talked about how precisely they wish to create products that their children could spend time on without worrying about safety, quality and value.
Ms Ghosh-Jorgensen and the silent co-founder - a professional who has worked with technology start-ups in Europe and the center East and has helped several companies raise funds - decided to join hands and Periscope was born early this year.
The company aims to build up KidTech and edutainment apps. The first product it intends to unveil is Cashoo, an app that teaches children between the ages of six and 18 about money management.
Being “money-smart” is a topic many children usually do not learn at school, a distinct segment that Periscope intends to fill.
“By creating engaging and fun real-life experiences, kids [through the app] will come in contact with how money works young, and be better prepared for adulthood,” she says.
The app, expected to be up and running by February 2021, can help address the problem of financial inclusion, which is a priority for policymakers in your community, she says.
Apart from Cashoo, Periscope’s other products include an edutainment app and another application that focuses on children’s health and wellness.
However, developing an engaging digital platform and supportive community for mothers in the region remains a priority, Ms Ghosh-Jorgensen says.
“I’ve always had a strong desire to start my very own business and over a long time and countless business ideas later, I finally found ‘the one’.” Smeetha Ghosh-Jorgensen, co-founder and leader of Periscope
The number of products that Periscope is developing has a strong give attention to internet safety.
“It is extremely hard for parents to judge whether the content is age-appropriate or if a credit card application is safe for kids … or find enough time to maintain with [ever-evolving] ways programs gather data and [information] about children,” she says.
Currently, regulations around internet safety for children are evolving at different paces over the Middle East.
The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act in America and specific sections of the EU's General Data Protection Regulation seek to create software safe for children and present parents' peace of mind.
The ultimate goal of Periscope is to utilize authorities in the Middle East to create awareness and develop or adapt guidelines that produce the digital world a safer place for children of all ages.
Periscope, which expects to be successful within 2 yrs of starting operations, is founded on a subscription model.
The founders have up to now invested $250,000 to place the business through its initial stages and intend to approach capital raising companies and high-net-worth individual investors prior to the end of the year for additional funding.
Ms Ghosh-Jorgensen declined to provide the total amount Periscope intends to improve.
“Predicated on the interest we've received so far, we are confident of raising the required funds to achieve the momentum we must launch our products,” she says.
After launching products in the UAE, the company plans to expand its geographic reach to Saudi Arabia. Beyond the center East, India is a market that is “definitely very attractive”, she says.
Two more associates with finance and business development expertise are joining the team, says Ms Ghosh-Jorgensen, who quit her job in July.
The business has outsourced the software development process but plans to employ 10 more persons by the end of July next year.
Q&A with Smeetha Ghosh, Co-founder and CEO of Periscope Media
What are the largest lessons you have learned up to now since launching the venture?
Among the bigger lessons, I am still learning is that whenever your skin layer is in the overall game, it is very different from what you are being used to in your corporate life. The sense of ownership is merely tremendous in lots of ways. That is my baby and the decisions I make are in charge of driving the business enterprise forward. That realization alone is exhilarating along with daunting as well. The next lesson that I have learned is what you cannot know everything before you start a business. You merely need to dive in at the deep end and learn how to swim on the way and be prepared to adapt to changes.
What are a few of the things you wished you had done differently?
Until now, nothing in relation to Periscope. I wish I had started my own business a bit earlier in my life, though.
What new skills have you learned since starting the business enterprise?
I am learning new things each day and I will continue steadily to do so. For the present time, a lot of it really is focused on product development, customer acquisition, retention strategies, and creating a new team from the bottom up.
Which other start-up do you want you had started?
So many! There are a few great types of global as well as Middle Eastern companies that have been founded by women. A couple that comes to mind is ClassPass and Mumzworld.
Your advice for entrepreneurs struggling to launch their own venture?
I am an optimist naturally, so I would say whatever challenges one is facing, there's always a means out. As entrepreneurs, we have to be resilient. The largest thing for me is absolutely listening to and understand the client and audience. With so many marketing technology tools at our disposal these days, it has become much easier. The more personalized experience your brand can offer, the more likely the customer will probably stick with you.
Has Covid-19 afflicted your business at all?
Covid-19 has definitely accelerated the digital evolution in the Mena region. Screen times have significantly more than doubled generally in most households and online learning and internet safety for kids reaches the forefront of parents’ minds. Covid-19 has accelerated the growth of a whole lot of companies operating in this space. If anything, we have to launch our app sooner than later as we have so much to offer.
Source: www.thenationalnews.com
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