iStoryTime
iStoryTime is a Santa Barbara-based mobile application founded in 2009 that distributes a curated catalog of children's storybooks, films, TV shows, and classic stories to family and child consumer audiences.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersSanta Barbara, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What iStoryTime does
iStoryTime is a US-based mobile application company founded in 2009 and headquartered in Santa Barbara, California. The company distributes a curated catalog of children's storybooks, films, TV shows, and classic stories through its mobile app (istorytime.com), targeting consumer audiences — primarily families and children seeking digital access to classic and licensed story content. As a private for-profit entity with 11-50 employees, iStoryTime operates as a digital content distribution layer rather than an original-IP publisher.
The company's product is a single mobile app aggregating audiovisual and reading content; specific technical architecture, content licensing arrangements, and feature surface are not disclosed in the available source material. Business mechanics are characteristic of consumer mobile apps — likely a combination of paid download, in-app purchase, or subscription monetization — though pricing model details, customer segmentation, and revenue figures are unavailable. No operating geographies, channel strategy, or marketing footprint are documented.
Capital markets activity is limited: a $2,000,000 round in August 2011 represents the principal disclosed financing, alongside earlier and later smaller events involving VCDE Venture Partners, HTGF (High-Tech Gruenderfonds), and InvestorLoft. No subsequent equity, debt, or strategic transactions appear in the input data. Most firmographic enrichment sources (management, financials, technology, integrations, partnerships) returned empty or were blocked by a verification page, leaving significant gaps in due-diligence coverage on management, technology stack, partnerships, and customer dynamics.
iStoryTime firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- iStoryTime
- Website
- https://istorytime.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- iStoryTime is a Santa Barbara-based mobile application founded in 2009 that distributes a curated catalog of children's storybooks, films, TV shows, and classic stories to family and child consumer audiences.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
iStoryTime industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Children's Digital Content
- NAICS
- Information (51), Broadcasting and Content Providers (516), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (5192)
- SIC
- Games, Toys & Children's Vehicles (No Dolls & Bicycles) (3944)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Digital/Interactive Curriculum Content (Apps, Games, Multimedia Lessons) (EDACAJAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Digital Reading Content & eBooks (Leveled Readers, Libraries) (EDAFACAH), Foundational Literacy & Early Reading Apps (EDACANAA)
Keywords
Where iStoryTime is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Santa Barbara
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
iStoryTime business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
iStoryTime product offering
Product offeringCore offering
iStoryTime is a mobile application that delivers a curated selection of children's storybooks, films, TV shows, and classic stories directly to end-user devices. The company focuses on packaging family-friendly storytelling content into a single app experience for parents and young children.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- iStoryTime Mobile App A mobile application providing a wide selection of children's storybooks, films, TV shows, and classic stories for parents and young children seeking on-demand digital storytelling content.
Companies that use iStoryTime
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles1 record
iStoryTime technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
iStoryTime partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves4 records
Expansion highlights1 record
iStoryTime competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- YouTube Kids: YouTube Kids is a free, ad-supported video platform curated for children, offering storybooks, shows, and learning content. It is a broad incumbent alternative that benefits from free distribution and the YouTube content ecosystem.
- PBS Kids: PBS Kids offers free educational games, videos, and content for children through web and mobile apps. It is a broad incumbent in children's digital content with strong brand trust among parents and significant content library.
- Disney+: Disney+ offers extensive children's programming including classic stories, films, and TV shows with major IP brands. It competes with iStoryTime in the films/TV/classic stories segment while operating at massive scale with a global content library.
- Amazon Kids+: Amazon Kids+ is a subscription service offering thousands of books, videos, games, and educational content for children. It is a broad incumbent competing across all of iStoryTime's content categories with vastly greater resources and content library depth.
Emerging players
- Reading Eggs: Reading Eggs is a subscription-based reading app for children ages 2-13, focusing on phonics and early literacy. It overlaps with iStoryTime in the digital reading segment with a more structured educational approach.
- StoryBots: StoryBots is a Netflix-acquired children's educational entertainment brand offering books, videos, and TV shows. It is a relevant peer in the children's digital content space, particularly given its evolution from a small startup to a major IP brand.
- Khan Academy Kids: Khan Academy Kids is a free educational app for ages 2-8 covering reading, math, and social-emotional learning. It is an emerging player in early childhood digital learning with a focus on educational content rather than entertainment.
Direct peers
- Vooks: Vooks is a streaming platform of animated storybooks for children, offering read-aloud picture books as video content. It is a direct peer to iStoryTime in digital storybook delivery, particularly in the animated/literary hybrid content category.
- Homer: Homer is an early learning app for children ages 2-8 offering personalized reading, math, and creativity content. It competes directly with iStoryTime in the early childhood digital content market with a similar mobile app delivery model.
- Epic!: Epic! is a digital reading platform for kids 12 and under offering thousands of books, audiobooks, and learning videos via subscription. It is a direct competitor in the children's digital storybook/content space, serving similar parent-child user segments with comparable mobile-first delivery.
Market position
Strengths3 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights4 records
Customer concentration
iStoryTime social profiles
Digital presenceiStoryTime financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
iStoryTime leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
iStoryTime funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors3 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
iStoryTime M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about iStoryTime
What does iStoryTime do?
iStoryTime is a mobile application that delivers a curated selection of children's storybooks, films, TV shows, and classic stories directly to end-user devices. The company focuses on packaging family-friendly storytelling content into a single app experience for parents and young children.
When was iStoryTime founded?
iStoryTime was founded in 2009. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is iStoryTime based?
iStoryTime is headquartered in Santa Barbara, United States, in the North America region.
Who are iStoryTime's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are YouTube Kids, PBS Kids, Disney+ and Amazon Kids+. Emerging players are Reading Eggs, StoryBots and Khan Academy Kids. Direct peers are Vooks, Homer and Epic!.
Does iStoryTime have an API?
No public API is recorded for iStoryTime.
What industry is iStoryTime in?
iStoryTime's product category is Children's Digital Content. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDACAJAK, Digital/Interactive Curriculum Content (Apps, Games, Multimedia Lessons), with a secondary code of EDAFACAH, Digital Reading Content & eBooks (Leveled Readers, Libraries). Its NAICS code is 51 and its SIC code is 3944.