FamilyKo bonds overseas Filipinos to their kids digitally with interactive stories and games

One was a dad who has not seen his son for 11 years. Another man wanted his father to see him for one last time before he goes blind.

The video, which went viral with over one million views, was one of the most touching things I’ve seen — right up there with the footages of US marines reuniting with their loved ones.

Which was why I understood FamilyKo immediately. The startup (formerly called HobbyMash) is currently developing a web and mobile app that enables parents to read story books, play games, and engage in other activities with their children.

And here’s the interesting bit: One of the co-founders, Mark Co, tells me that they’ve managed to connect with the OFWs featured in the video and even got them to try out the app.

While non-parents might be wondering why a simple Skype video call isn’t sufficient for parents to their kids, Mark offers this reason: Children have a really short attention span, and can’t stay still in front of a screen for very long. Having these activities help kids stay engaged longer, resulting in a more meaningful time together.

FamilyKo, currently a JFDI-Innov8 Bootcamp startup, reminds me of another company, Splaype, that does a similar thing. It made an appearance at DEMO Asia, and while I was somewhat unconvinced then, I am of the opinion now that if both apps can make the experience more interactive and convenient than, say, playing tic-tac-toe over paper on Skype, it could work out.

With its Filipino roots, it’s unsurprising that FamilyKo’s first target market would be Overseas Filipino Workers. It’s actually not just a matter of sentimentality and familiarity: OFWs are a sizable market, 11 million strong, and many of them are parents who have to leave their children behind to earn a better life.

But an app like FamilyKo clearly has a bigger audience. In a globalized world, some parents are kept away from their children for weeks or months at a time simply because their work demands it. We also see an increasing amount of young families with both parents working long hours, and unfortunately more divorcees too.

In such situations, digital devices like mobile phones and tablets let families bond in interactive ways which were not possible before.

The next step now is to replicate actual hugs and kisses — and even that is becoming a reality with devices like Hugvie.

More coverage of JFDI-Innov8 Bootcamp here. The Bootcamp is a technology startup accelerator program in Singapore (part of the Global Accelerator Network) where participants build a prototype within 100 days. Demo Day is on 4th May, 2012.