What do you get when you pair a love of robotics with a sleepless child? A Snorble.
Snorble is a children’s robot that helps kids and families develop healthy habits and bedtimes routines, according to its creator. It can teach children how to brush their teeth, but it also has interactive stories and games.
The intuitive character, experienced as a toy, is the brainchild of Halifax’s Mike Rizkalla.
“This is really about empowering the family to establish things that are important to them in terms of routines and things that help that child develop,” Rizkalla told Global News.
He says a New Jersey-based investor saw the value in the product, and invested $12.3 million.
“It feels awesome,” said Rizkalla.
“It allows us to focus, put our heads down and just focus on making the product the best that it can be.”
Mike Rizkalla is the CEO and co-founder of Snorble.
Snorble
While Rizkalla is excited for the future of Snorble, he said it’s the overall experience that has been especially gratifying. Rizkalla said he was heading his Nova Scotia-based software development company, Brave New World, when he started to notice a new trend in robotics labs around the world.
“At the time, it was really about defining the human interaction experience for robotics,” he said, which prompted the company to experiment and “do crazy things.”
“Where the machine would actually understand who’s there, what they’re feeling, and then incorporate that into fun games and interesting interactions.”
Then came his second child, who wouldn’t sleep, and the serial entrepreneur said there wasn’t really anything on the market that helped. So, he and his 20-person team, 14 of which are based out of Halifax, started working on Snorble in November 2019.
“Getting to see how kids are really, really engaged with the product is really special, and that’s what I think makes us different,” he says.
“We really put the child at the centre. We’re focused on the experience. We’re focused on making it special for them, and then through that, that opens up a world of opportunities.”
Rizkalla says the first Snorbles are expected to ship out this summer to the first buyers from an Indiegogo campaign. He says he hopes to have Snorbles available to buy online and in stores by next year.
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TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was up more than 100 points in late-morning trading, helped by strength in base metal and utility stocks, while U.S. stock markets were mixed.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 103.40 points at 24,542.48.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 192.31 points at 42,932.73. The S&P 500 index was up 7.14 points at 5,822.40, while the Nasdaq composite was down 9.03 points at 18,306.56.
The Canadian dollar traded for 72.61 cents US compared with 72.44 cents US on Tuesday.
The November crude oil contract was down 71 cents at US$69.87 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was down eight cents at US$2.42 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$7.20 at US$2,686.10 an ounce and the December copper contract was up a penny at US$4.35 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2024.
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was up more than 200 points in late-morning trading, while U.S. stock markets were also headed higher.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 205.86 points at 24,508.12.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 336.62 points at 42,790.74. The S&P 500 index was up 34.19 points at 5,814.24, while the Nasdaq composite was up 60.27 points at 18.342.32.
The Canadian dollar traded for 72.61 cents US compared with 72.71 cents US on Thursday.
The November crude oil contract was down 15 cents at US$75.70 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was down two cents at US$2.65 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was down US$29.60 at US$2,668.90 an ounce and the December copper contract was up four cents at US$4.47 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 11, 2024.
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was little changed in late-morning trading as the financial sector fell, but energy and base metal stocks moved higher.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 0.05 of a point at 24,224.95.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 94.31 points at 42,417.69. The S&P 500 index was down 10.91 points at 5,781.13, while the Nasdaq composite was down 29.59 points at 18,262.03.
The Canadian dollar traded for 72.71 cents US compared with 73.05 cents US on Wednesday.
The November crude oil contract was up US$1.69 at US$74.93 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was up a penny at US$2.67 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$14.70 at US$2,640.70 an ounce and the December copper contract was up two cents at US$4.42 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 10, 2024.
