How Two Founders Built a Bedtime Story App to 50K Users
Who is Matthias Neumayer?
Matthias Neumayer, co-founder of Oscar Stories, is from Vienna and holds degrees in Law and Film directing, and previously ran an advertising and film production agency. His co-founder, Dima Rubanov, also from Vienna, studied economics and finance, worked in consulting, and shares a passion for coding and storytelling from their high school days.
Matthias and Dima — Founders of Oscar Stories
What problem does Oscar personal bedtime stories for kids solve?
Oscar Stories solves the challenge of bedtime storytelling by offering personalized tales that place children at the heart of the adventure, making it both engaging and easy for parents. This is especially helpful for busy parents who want to make bedtime special but struggle to come up with new, exciting stories every night.
Founder-Market Fit
Skills
What skills did Matthias Neumayer have that led to their success?
How did Matthias come up with the idea for Oscar personal bedtime stories for kids?
One of the founders of Oscar, Matthias Neumayer, was inspired by his godchild, a little boy named Oscar, who was always asking for new stories featuring himself and his friends. This sparked an idea for Matthias and his co-founder, Dima Rubanov, who blended their backgrounds in storytelling and technology. They started playing with AI, specifically GPT-3, to see how it could help generate personalized stories for children.
Before diving in, they brainstormed how this app could entertain and educate kids simultaneously. They researched feedback from parents to ensure the stories were safe and inclusive. Working closely with families allowed them to fine-tune the app, teaching essential life lessons without biases. Despite challenges such as addressing biases in traditional storytelling data, they persevered, securing a government grant to help make the stories more inclusive.
Through this journey, a central lesson they learned was the importance of aligning with educational experts and actively listening to their target audience to create a product that resonates with its users. This iterative process of refining their idea led to an app that stands out by creating memorable storytelling experiences, ultimately inspired by their own daily interactions and observations.
How did Matthias Neumayer build the initial version of Oscar personal bedtime stories for kids?
Oscar Stories was developed over the span of two months using a technology stack primarily built on React Native for the front end and an Express server for the back end. The founders, Matthias Neumayer and Dima Rubanov, crafted the initial version by leveraging their coding skills and integrating AI technology like GPT-3, which they experimented with before development.
The development process was challenging as they decided to build most components themselves to ensure scalability, leading to a more complex app over time. One major hurdle was ensuring the content was child-appropriate and bias-free, which involved thorough collaboration with parents and educational experts to refine the AI's storytelling capabilities.
Oscar Bedtime Stories
How did Matthias launch Oscar personal bedtime stories for kids and get initial traction?
Oscar Stories was introduced to the public via the website and shared openly as a personalized bedtime story app, gaining initial attention through online communities such as Show HN. They leveraged organic interest from parents and educators seeking safe, educational digital content for children.
What was the growth strategy for Oscar personal bedtime stories for kids and how did they scale?
Product Hunt Launch
Oscar Stories strategically launched its MVP on Product Hunt in March 2023, which led to 500 signups on the first day. They gained visibility by getting featured as Product of the Weekend, which significantly increased initial traction.
Why it worked: Product Hunt is an ideal platform for tech-savvy parents and innovative product seekers. Securing the top spot increased their exposure, validating the product's appeal to a tech-engaged audience looking for unique solutions.
App Store Optimization (ASO) and SEO
The business prioritized App Store Optimization and SEO to increase app visibility and enhance discoverability. This approach helped in driving organic traffic and downloads thanks to positive reviews that boosted rankings.
Why it worked: With a focus on ASO and SEO, Oscar Stories ensured higher visibility in search results both in app stores and on the web. This resulted in steadily increasing downloads as more users searched for storytelling solutions, reinforcing good user experiences and positive reviews.
Press Coverage and PR Efforts
Oscar Stories attracted media attention, including a feature in Wired, which aided in reaching wider audiences. They also used press releases and leveraged existing PR contacts to seek coverage in newspapers and even on television.
Why it worked: Press and media coverage lend credibility and broaden audience reach. The Wired feature and other press stories added authenticity and trust to Oscar Stories, making it more appealing to potential customers while attracting the attention of parents interested in innovative educational tools.
Live Events and Networking
The company actively participated in startup fairs and live events such as Game City in Austria. They engaged directly with potential users, receiving feedback and refining the app based on real-world interactions.
Why it worked: Direct engagement with customers at live events helped Oscar Stories gather valuable user insights and feedback for product improvement. Networking at these events also expanded their reach and provided exposure to a captive audience, leading to better customer relationship building and loyalty.
What's the pricing strategy for Oscar personal bedtime stories for kids?
Oscar Stories offers two free bedtime stories upon signup, with subscription options for unlimited stories at $4.99/month or $39.99/year, plus coin purchases for one-time story access.
What were the biggest lessons learned from building Oscar personal bedtime stories for kids?
- Engage With Your Audience: Oscar Stories worked closely with parents to ensure the app met children's developmental needs, demonstrating the importance of community feedback in product development.
- Flexibility in Business Models: Experimenting with different pricing strategies like subscription models and one-time purchase options helped Oscar adapt to their audience's preferences, highlighting the need for flexible business models.
- Leverage Media for Growth: Securing media coverage, like the feature in Wired, boosted their visibility and credibility, showing that leveraging PR can effectively amplify a startup's reach.
- Prioritize Ethical Design: The focus on reducing gender bias in stories underscores the significance of designing products that are responsible and aligned with societal values.
- Iterate Based on Real Feedback: Observing real user interactions at events like Game City provided crucial insights, allowing the team to enhance features like the app's loading times.
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More about Oscar personal bedtime stories for kids:
Who is the owner of Oscar personal bedtime stories for kids?
Matthias Neumayer is the founder of Oscar personal bedtime stories for kids.
When did Matthias Neumayer start Oscar personal bedtime stories for kids?
2023
What is Matthias Neumayer's net worth?
Matthias Neumayer's business makes an average of $/month.
How much money has Matthias Neumayer made from Oscar personal bedtime stories for kids?
Matthias Neumayer started the business in 2023, and currently makes an average of .
