When Max Tuchman (MBA 2012) and her cofounder launched the storybook app Caribu in 2017, they knew their product would be a hit with parents who want to be able to read with their children each night, even when traveling—and with grandparents who crave closeness, even if they live far away.

The subscription-based app allows people to connect over video while reading a children’s book together in real time, as if the services of FaceTime and Kindle were knitted together. The product took off, particularly among military families. Tuchman, who had been a public school teacher and executive director of Teach for America Miami-Dade before becoming CEO of Caribu, landed among the Inc Female Founders 100 list in 2019; Caribu made it to TIME Magazine’s best inventions of that year.

Then, in March 2020, as people across the globe began to practice social distancing to contain the coronavirus, the founders saw that their concept would suddenly be in much greater demand. Caribu made the app available for free, and use of the app increased 10-fold almost overnight, Tuchman told Forbes. Suddenly the idea was resonating far beyond the founders’ original intentions.

“One of the surprise uses is as a quasi babysitting service, enabling grandparents to bond with their grandchildren while parents take breaks to shower or make an important call. Another is that kids are using the app for virtual playdates. They can play tic-tac-toe together,” according to Forbes.

In response to the increased need, AT&T made a contribution that would allow Caribu to continue to offer its services for free through May 24, 2020.

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