Agnes Kozera and David Kieszkowski, co-founders of podcast sponsorship marketplace Podcorn, today launched their newest app, Storiaverse. Storiaverse is a short-form entertainment platform that combines animated videos and written content to provide a multi-format reading experience.
Available on iOS and Android devices, Storiaverse caters to graphic novel readers and adult anime fans who want to discover original stories in animated short form.
“Our mission is to make Storiaverse the largest storytelling platform and make reading more immersive and engaging,” Kozera told TechCrunch. He is also the co-founder of the YouTube marketing platform FameBit (which Google acquired in 2016).
“We believe our format not only caters to existing fans of literature and animation, but has the potential to appeal to a wide range of audiences seeking new forms of entertainment. [visual readers] “Enjoy reading through our patent-pending ReadWatch format,” she said.
Image credit: Storiaverse
Storiaverse's “Read-Watch” format is exactly that. Users can swipe up on a story to watch a series of animated clips, then tap the screen to enter reading mode. There is also an option to skip the videos if you want to read all the chapters first and then watch the animations. Stories vary in length from 5 to 10 minutes.
At launch, Storiaverse will offer 25 original titles spanning genres such as science fiction, fantasy, horror, mystery, and comedy. Creators who have published stories on the app include Josh Ryba, an animator who has contributed to projects such as the Netflix shows “Raid by Wolves” and “One Piece.” Jonathan Fontaine is an animator who worked on the Disney movie “Descendants.” and, among others, author John M. Floyd, who was featured in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine.
Notably, book publisher HarperCollins has also partnered with the company to develop titles such as Madeleine Roux's horror novel series Asylum and Joel Charbonneau's new fantasy series Dividing Eden. proceeding. Additionally, TikTok star and independent animator King Science (Science Akbar) is teaming up to create special stories on the app.
Currently, over 100 creators are working on the Storiaverse, and over 100 stories are in development.
Co-founders Agnes Kozera and David Kieszkowski. Image credit: Storiaverse
Storiaverse was released at a time when many creators are panicking about the future of TikTok. TikTok is his ByteDance-owned short story, where many storytellers have gained sizable audiences (like King's Science and his 13 million followers) and are using the platform to show off. It's a video app. their work.
Similar to TikTok and YouTube Shorts, Storiaverse offers creators an additional source of revenue.
“There is a vast community of independent writers who often struggle to gain recognition and compensation. We believe we can revitalize our content in a more contemporary format and reach new audiences. Kosela said, adding that Storiaverse pays both writers and animators for their contributions to the app. ” [compensation] “Prices vary depending on factors such as the length and complexity of the story,” she explained.
The company may also remove other pages from its competitors' playbooks by introducing advertising, products, and subscriptions. Kozera said another idea he's considering is adding product placement to videos.
Storiaverse says it has already received thousands of submissions from writers. Creators can apply through the Storiaverse website. Once a writer is accepted, they are connected with animators who bring the words to life.
The company is also building a Creator Suite for creators to collaborate with each other, access insights into the performance of their stories, and explore “more monetization opportunities,” Kozera said.
Storiaverse has raised $2.5 million in pre-seed funding led by 500 Global.