Rekindling the Joy of Discovery
an interview with Sonya Trachsel, founder of Tokka.app, a new platform offering unique experiences for kids
Welcome to the sixth edition of “On, Off, All the Time”!
Intro (for first-time readers, otherwise feel free to skip)
This newsletter is dedicated to fellow parents, grandparents, teachers and anyone else involved in caring for kids, who wake up stressing out about having to come up with a healthy balance of on and off-screen activities to keep children educated, entertained and safe.
For many of us, this responsibility (especially these days) exists literally all the time, at least until our kids are shipped off to boarding school, college or Hogwarts :)
Today it is my pleasure to feature a fascinating interview with Sonya Trachsel, founder of Tokka.app, which is launching in the next few weeks and will offer a menu of high quality & unique experiences for kids!
Interview with Sonya Trachsel, Founder of Tokka
Yaakov: Sonya, thanks for agreeing to join us today! Can you please give some background on how your vision for Tokka materialised over time?
Sonya: Sure! So my journey to Tokka is a long one..having been an ESL teacher, Software Engineer and also studying a Masters in Education along the way.
I started building the original platform for Tokka more than a year ago, with the original vision being a marketplace for unique in-person experiences for children.
When Covid-19 hit earlier in the year, we explored various virtual options (including babysitting). However after talking to many parents it became clear that they were not simply looking for someone to watch their kids but also to give their kids an unforgettable experience that they wouldn’t be able to get from a standard school curriculum.
Yaakov: Sounds great! What is your launch strategy and roadmap for the next few months?
Sonya: So we are currently accepting applicants to our waitlist and will soon grant early access to small batches at a time.
It is very important to us that we get this right, so our approach is to listen carefully to feedback from parents and kids and improve our offering and variety of experiences as we go forward.
We have several exciting features on our roadmap that I think will be of great value to parents, including the option to join a small group class as well as premium Masterclass-level experiences that are truly once-in-a-lifetime (eg a personal art session with a famous artist!)
Yaakov: Totally agree that iteration is key in this rapidly-changing market. Regardless of the final list of experiences that you end up offering at launch, what are the primary outcomes that a parent who books a Tokka session should expect?
Sonya: Our mission statement is to inspire children everywhere.
We aim to achieve this by focusing on offering fun but educational activities and experiences, that a child would typically not be exposed to.
We want children who attend a Tokka session to experience the joy of discovery, and use those delightful memories to power them to dive in deeper and learn more.
Yaakov: Love the concept of inspiring kids to learn and experiment! Reminds me of a well known parable comparing inspiration to lightning 🌩️:
“Life can sometimes thrust us into stumbling through a dark night on a stormy plain. Suddenly, there is a flash of lightning. In a millisecond the scenery is as clear as day, one's direction obvious. But just as soon as it is perceived it disappears; and one must fight on through the storm with only the memory of that flash for guidance.“
What other opportunities and challenges do you see currently with all the changes happening in the world of education?
Sonya: As many parents can attest, during the last few months typical parental involvement in their child’s education has never been higher. This gave newfound appreciation for teachers but also highlighted issues that edtech platforms can definitely help with going forward.
However one big challenge that is holding back the education revolution is disparity of access.
This is an issue that needs to be addressed at a national and local level, but companies should also be doing their part to ensure that education is accessible to all.
At Tokka, we are aiming to offer a range of price points as well as subsidised/free experiences for underserved populations that urgently require childcare and educational assistance.
Yaakov: Yes, access is becoming an increasingly critical issue. Just a few minutes before our interview I tweeted at John Chambers (ex-Cisco CEO) on this very subject to ask if he could point to some programs that might be able to help.
Looking to the future, have you come across any early-stage edtech startup that you feel has big potential?
Sonya: Primer is definately one to watch. They are well-funded, have an impressive team and ambitious vision.
Also noticed recently that Skillshare started to offer classes for kids, which has the potential to be very successful.
Yaakov: On a related note, do you have any requests for products/startups that would address edtech pain points that you believe haven’t been adequately solved yet?
Sonya: One challenge and opportunity is to involve the community at large with helping to raise children. The burden shouldn’t just be on parents, but rather extended family, neighbours, college students and companies should all have a big interest in investing in the next generation AND helping the economy by allowing parents to work.
Not sure if the solution is an overarching platform, a series of grassroot projects or a massive Governmental program..but this is an issue that must be solved soon.
Yaakov: As you are well aware, the edtech space is 🔥 right now. Any advice for would-be founders on how to succeed?
Sonya: When looking for the best early team consider not just credentials, but rather the background and story they bring in addition to yours. If they have personal struggles and can relate to the problem that you are collectively solving it will give your company an unfair advantage. You can help someone gain skills, but you can’t truly buy long-term passion and loyalty.
Conclusion
Thanks for that Sonya! Can’t wait to try out Tokka for my kids, who would especially love to meet heroes from space, the jungle and anyone who works with animals!
To follow the latest news about Tokka (and maybe even to see if you can get early access 😉) strongly suggest you follow Sonya on Twitter, where she also shares great actionable advice for parents such as this great tip 👇