8interactive
8interactive has published more than 100 talking books, in the app called “Read Me Stories”, aimed at three to seven-year-olds.
Keen sailor Glenn Andert left the shores of San Francisco aboard his yacht Learjet in February 2005 unsure exactly where his journey would take him.
The Californian arrived in Whangarei in December that year and spent the next few years enjoying winters in the islands in the South Pacific while toiling away the summers in boat yards in New Zealand.
After being chased by a couple of cyclones Glenn decided it was time to head to calmer waters and new adventures, descending upon Wellington in 2008.
“I came to Wellington because my partner Pamela lives here. Professionally, I didn’t know what I wanted to do next.”
Glenn had spent the previous two decades co-founding a variety of software start-up companies in Silicon Valley, home to many of the world’s largest technology corporations.
But once an entrepreneur always an entrepreneur – it wasn’t long before he joined Wellington’s Angel HQ and got hooked into Unlimited Potential, where he met Marie-Claire Andrews, who connected him to other networks.
“Through her I met a CEO who was looking for some discussion around what was going on with his business. Soon after that we started looking at new businesses, we had about 30 ideas, and eventually decided to go ahead and launch one of those,” says Glenn.
And so 8interactive was born, a company Glenn seed-funded and is chief executive of, an international company that delivers talking picture books to children via the iPhone/iPad app “Read Me Stories.”
“Parents really want their kids to read but a lot of the time they want to do other stuff. This way kids get a new book every day, and they get hooked on the idea that they get something new and fun to read. It’s as simple as that,” says Glenn, now a permanent resident.
He has since approached a number of investors, Nick Lewis, an investment banker and founding partner at Woodward Partners, among them.
“I was immediately struck by Glenn’s directness and professionalism in approaching the investment community in Wellington. “
“His was by far the most complete and candid pitch I had seen, and he didn’t pull any punches when describing both the upside and downside of his business idea,” says Nick.
“That honest attitude has continued even after the investment round, and he operates on a no-surprises basis with his investors.”
8interactive has since published more than 100 talking books, in the app called “Read Me Stories”, aimed at three to seven-year-olds.
In fact, “Read Me Stories” ranks about fourth in the education category in the United States iPad store and has touched the lives of more than one million children worldwide.
“Our dominant markets are the United States, Europe, UK, Canada, parts of Asia and Australia. We don’t have much of a footprint in New Zealand, and we didn’t really aim for this market because iPhones are more of a rarity here.”
The core 8interactive team works out of Wellington, the ideal base for a start-up software company, says Glenn.
“Wellington is small, it’s compressed and there are a lot of talented people here. It’s a bit like Silicon Valley but on a smaller scale - you’ve got all these smart, creative people here, money that’s being invested, and you get a lot of creative things happening.”
“Given the way the world works today, and the technology that we have, you really can do certain kinds of businesses from anywhere, and this is one of them – I do business with people all over the world that I’ve never met.”
Today 8interactive delivers more than 35,000 books to kids every day, it has become known for great customer interaction and it conducts usability tests with children here.
“It’s a fun job, it’s creative and I love it. Best of all, we get loads of positive comments from parents saying their kids look forward to getting a new book every day. They’re spending time with books, and that is the rewarding part.”
This story was created with support from Immigration New Zealand. If you are interested in establishing a business in New Zealand, go to http://www.newzealandnow.govt.nz/long-term-business-policy~221.html.