The corporate world is a different place now than it was before the COVID-19 pandemic. With more people working in hybrid and remote positions, the bonds that co-workers once formed by the watercooler are no longer as strong.
Last year, Matthew Kaplan and Jeffrey Sparr launched Scribl in Pawtucket to bring back that feeling of connection in the workplace, even if the office is one’s living room. And they’re doing so through doodles and creativity.
“It’s hard for teams to forge connections in today’s post-pandemic hybrid or remote environments,” said Kaplan, CEO and co-founder. “We believe creativity can solve this problem; it brings people together, lets people be vulnerable and share things they might not otherwise share. We’re not hanging out around watercoolers in any meaningful way anymore. And a lot of things out there – ice breakers, traditional team-building exercises – people don’t open up. We’ve found something that benefits co-workers and the companies they work for alike.”
Scribl is a corporate wellness and team-building software game that gives prompts to players to get them out of their shell. The prompts are identical to those that co-workers would be responding to, giving a community-minded purpose to playing.
One prompt could have six to 10 co-workers drawing a rendering of their latest adventures. The next game could be asking them to illustrate something representative of their peace of mind. It’s all designed to build stronger, more communicative teams, Kaplan said.
And all the information gleaned from teams playing Scribl’s game is extremely useful to the companies, Kaplan said.
“We have a total nonclinical approach,” he said. “It’s a fun, collaborative game but it’s still grounded in data and analytics. This is a very timely concept at the moment. The corporate wellness market is massive right now. There’s an emphasis on employees’ mental health and well-being. And companies and organizations can learn really cool insights on how their employees are feeling, which is invaluable in terms of analyzing a company’s culture.”
Companies that have better connected co-workers have better employee retention rates, according to Kaplan. And better team participation leads to better companies.
The scope of the businesses that use Scribl is growing, too, both in numbers and prestige. Kaplan said the company is building and scaling the brand through the Amazon Web Services program, which provides applications to individuals, companies and governments on a metered, pay-as-you-go basis.
In March, Scribl started offering trial services to corporate giants such as CVS Health Corp.’s Aetna Inc. and EY, formerly known as Ernst & Young LLP.
Kaplan is hoping to continue scaling Scribl’s team, which currently consists of five employees, and plans to hire more people in the next three to six months.
While the game is presently limited to the sphere of corporate wellness, he said he would like to see Scribl eventually used in classrooms. The company also aspires to build a version of the game that can handle teams of more than six to 10 people at a time.
“The more Scribl scales as a company, the more people we can help,” Kaplan said. “Creativity can be life-changing. And we believe it can reshape corporate culture.”
OWNERS: Matthew Kaplan and Jeffrey Sparr
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Software as a service, corporate wellness and team building
LOCATION: 999 Main St., Unit 111, Pawtucket
EMPLOYEES: Five
YEAR FOUNDED: 2024
ANNUAL REVENUE: WND
