[ibimage==34209==Original==none==self==ibimage_align-center]
Being a parent comes with a lot of pressure; finding the activities that support your child’s strengths and pursue their passions shouldn’t be one of them.
Girish Venkat, a father of two kids, watched in amazement when another parent at his children’s school could rattle off the best activities for her kid. She seemed to be in the know while he was struggling to figure out what to do. It looked like a full-time job just to find the activities. To Venkat, “it shouldn’t be that you have a ton of time to research this or know a tiger mom to know about these things,” said Adrienne Fuller, marketing and content manager for Thrively.
That knowledge gap was an opportunity for Glendale-based Thrively.
Democratization of Opportunity
When Thrively launched, the goal was to be more than a listing of activities for kids. Venkat partnered with Jon Kraft, a founding member of Pandora to help craft his business. The duo brought in two doctors who could help build a strength assessment for kids. The doctors, two of the seven board certified pediatric neuropsychologists in California, spent the better part of a year working on an assessment to help parents identify their children’s strengths. Knowing what those are, paired with the activity information on Thrively, parents could ensure their kids are in the activities best suited for them. Unlike other tests of its kind, this assessment was written specifically for kids. “Other tests are not written for children, that’s one of our distinctive advantages,” said Fuller.
[ibimage==34210==Original==none==self==ibimage_align-right]
The tests often serve to reinforce things parents already know, but other times it serves to find undiscovered strengths. “The strength assessment really reiterates that there’s more to a kid than just their in-school test scores… Everyone gets something out if it… It’s either positive reinforcement or an incredible self-discovery moment,” said Fuller. Test results can help parents alter their activities to build on the skills identified as strengths. For parents whose kids have strengths completely opposite of their own, Thrively can serve as a place to learn what activities will best work for them.
The service is perfect for parents who are moving to a new town. Beyond the assessment, it can help them learn the coolest programs in their area, as well as camps and other activities. Fuller says Thrively serves a diverse group of parents. Their users are “really everyone from the super mom to just regular families who are looking for something,” said Fuller.
When it comes down to it, the service, which the team calls virtual concierge, is a “democratization of opportunity,” said Fuller. It gives any parent the ability to find the activities, courses and groups that are best for their kid’s development and their future and it doesn’t require parents to spend hours and hours on the internet researching classes.
[ibimage==34205==Large==none==self==ibimage_align-left]
In the Classroom
While the product was made with the parent in mind, Fuller says they’ve seen an increase in educators using the site. Some teachers use it to get to know their students better at the start of the school year, while others are using it for mini-strength sessions. For the team, it’s been a pleasant surprise.
For now, the assessment is focused on kids aged 8-14. They are putting together an assessment for younger kids, aged 5-7 and are considering adding one for high school aged students as well. The service currently covers the top 17 metro areas and is also working on expanding the number of activities listed.
