Storiaverse launches a short-form storytelling app that combines video and written content

Agnes Kozyra and David Kierzkowski, co-founders of podcast sponsorship marketplace Podcorn, today launched their latest app —StoryverseA short-form entertainment platform that offers a multi-format reading experience, combining animated video and written content.

Available on iOS and Android devices, Storiaverse caters to graphic novel readers and adult anime fans who want to discover original stories in short-form animated format.

“Our mission is to make the Storiaverse the biggest platform for storytelling and make reading more immersive and engaging,” Kozyra, who also co-founded YouTube marketing platform FameBit (acquired by Google in 2016), told TechCrunch.

“We believe our format not only meets the needs of existing literary and anime fans, but also has the potential to appeal to broader audiences looking for new forms of entertainment…even people who have turned away from reading because they are more interested in [visual readers] “I can enjoy reading through the patent-pending Reading Hour format,” she said.

The “Read-Watch” format of the Storiaverse is exactly what it sounds like. Users swipe up on the story to watch a series of animated clips, then tap the screen to enter reading mode. There is also an option to skip videos if they prefer to read all the chapters first and then go back to watching the anime. Stories range in length from five to 10 minutes.

At launch, Storiaverse offers 25 original titles spanning genres such as sci-fi, fantasy, horror, mystery, and comedy. Among the creators who have released stories on the app are animator Josh Ripa, who has contributed to projects like the Netflix shows “Raised by Wolves” and “One Piece”; animator Jonathan Fontaine, who worked on Disney’s Descendants; and writer John M. Floyd, who appeared in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, among others.

Notably, book publisher HarperCollins is also collaborating with the company to adapt titles such as Madeline Rooks’ horror novel series Asylum and Joel Charbonneau’s new fantasy series Dividing Eden. Additionally, he is a TikTok star and a freelance animator King of science (Alam Akbar) collaborates to create an exclusive story on the application.

There are currently over 100 creators working with the Storiaverse and over 100 stories in development.

Co-founders Agnes Kozyra and David Kierzkowski. Image credits: Storyverse

Storiaverse launches at a time when many creators are panicking about the future of TikTok, the short-form video app owned by ByteDance where many storytellers have built large audiences (like King Science and his 13 million followers) and use the platform to show off their work.

Like TikTok and YouTube Shorts, Storiaverse provides an additional revenue stream for content creators.

“There is a vast community of freelance writers who often struggle for recognition and compensation. We believe their content can be revitalized in a more modern format to reach new readers,” Kozera said, adding that Storiaverse compensates both writers and animators for their contributions to the app. the [compensation] She explained that fees vary based on factors such as the length and complexity of the story.

The company may also take other pages off of its competitors’ playbook by bringing in advertising, merchandise, and subscriptions. Another idea on the table is adding product placement to videos, Kozera told us.

Storiaverse says it has already received thousands of submissions from writers. Creators can apply to Storiaverse website. When writers are accepted, they are paired with an animator who helps bring the words to life.

The company is also building a creator pool for creators to collaborate with each other, access story performance insights and explore “more monetization opportunities,” Kozyra said.

Storiaverse has raised $2.5 million in seed funding led by 500 Global.