DEVELOPER SPOTLIGHT

A News App for the Curious

How the creators of Curio made a journalism app with high aspirations.

Curio - Audio Journalism

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‣ Company: Curio Labs
‣ Founders: Govind Balakrishnan and Srikant Chakravarti
‣ Mission: To help you make sense of the news—in a way that fits into your day
‣ App launched: 2017
‣ Team size: 18
‣ Go-to emoji: 😊


Making sense of the news is more challenging than ever these days. Curio can help.

The app reads aloud articles and essays from The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Wired, the Financial Times, Scientific American, and other prominent publications. But Curio is not about breaking news, says cofounder Srikant Chakravarti.

“It’s about discovering how journalism is an opportunity for improvement,” he says. “We want to help people lead more fulfilled, more empathetic lives.”

Curio reads aloud stories from a curated list of respected publications, all with the intention of making you almost as smart as this guy.

We spoke to Balakrishnan and Chakravarti from their homes in London and India, respectively, about new ways to deliver journalism and two areas never to compromise on.

Do either of you have a background in journalism?

Balakrishnan: About 11 years ago, I was leading strategy for BBC News. There I saw incredible stories that went beyond daily news but only got a couple of minutes of engagement on our website. When I left the BBC I thought, “I want to build something that takes advantage of stories that inspire and teach, but in a way that fits with people’s lives.”

Chakravarti: It’s about discovering how journalism is an opportunity for improvement. How does it make you think? What does it make you feel?

How did you curate the media outlets you partner with?

Chakravarti: We were happy to have people from different ends of the spectrum, but we were also willing to have inward-looking viewpoints. We wanted to build empathy instead of just criticizing the other side. That’s why you don’t see any breaking news in Curio.

Balakrishnan: We have three pillars when picking a story. Will it help people understand what’s happening in the world? Will it help people improve? And will it help them achieve what we call a “smart escape”?

What’s fundamental to Curio’s design?

Balakrishnan: There are two things we never compromise on. First, nothing is outsourced. Everyone—designers, engineers, product people—are all within the company. The second thing is the content: We use professional readers in soundproofed booths. And we’re a native iOS build. For the quality of the experience, and especially for integration with Apple Watch, it made the most sense to build with Apple.

What do you wish you’d known when you started out?

Chakravarti: There’s the old story—if you want to go from point A to point B, do you build a car or just a bicycle? Sometimes you put the bicycle out there, and people are more than happy. I wish we knew that earlier. [Laughs.] We’ve become much better about releasing earlier, letting people enjoy using the product before polishing it.

What advice do you have for aspiring developers?

Balakrishnan: Life is not zero-sum. For you to win, someone doesn’t have to lose. There’s enough opportunity to go around, and the future is bigger than the past.

Curio Labs is a part of the App Store Small Business Program. If you are a developer and would like to learn more about the program, follow the link below.