Choremonster's apps combine learning, rewards

Two Cincinnati natives have developed Choremonster, a Web-based service and mobile app that lets parents and children interact to complete and actually enjoy housework by combining digital gaming trends with the traditional concept of an allowance.

Choremonster co-founders Chris Bergman and Paul Armstrong are capitalizing on the fact that in 2010, 51 percent of children between 4 and 12 years old owned digital devices. Many children receive their parents’ early-generation iPhones, iTouches, Androids and laptops when their parents upgrade.  

“Technology is a huge part of family life these days and can give parents an advantage that my parents didn’t have when trying to get me to do chores,” says Bergman, CEO of Choremonster.

The two, who also were partners in running Over-the-Rhine-based Wiseacre Digital, are creating two separate applications: one for parents and one for children. The parents create a chore list for their children and assign real-life rewards that can be obtained by trading in Choremonster points.

The children use the application to mark their chores completed, gain points for real-life rewards and collect monsters. The randomized collection of monsters then interact with users, play games and teach children lessons on responsibility and completing tasks.

The company also will look at the market potential of the product as a mix of both online (software and virtual) and physical goods, similar to how Rovio is now marketing Angry Birds with t-shirts and plush toys.

Choremonster and its co-founders are graduates of the 2011 Brandery accelerator class, which graduated eight companies from all over the nation in October. Choremonster is the first of those companies to receive seed funding.

CincyTech led Choremonster’s seed-stage funding round with a $200,000 investment. The $350,000 round was completed by private angel investors.

The investments will go toward product development and growing the application’s user base.

“Bergman and Armstrong are a strong team that has executed multiple major digital and design projects for everyone from Maker’s Mark to Facebook,” says CincyTech Managing Director Mike Venerable. “We have a lot of confidence in their abilities, their passion and their product.”

By Sarah Blazak for CincyTech