A single phone call from my Dad in the UK changed everything.
Out of the blue, both my parents were facing serious health issues, and here I was, thousands of miles away, completely powerless to help.
Our Story
Simirity is a family business — built with the hope of helping families like ours connect more deeply through storytelling. This is our story.
Founding journey
Written by Andrew
(Founder of Simirity)
Since moving abroad, I'd watched helplessly as the close bond with my parents and my sister slowly weakened. Accepting it no longer felt like an option. Time was precious now — I wanted more meaningful interactions to make every day count.
Shortly afterwards, a nerve-wracking thought crept in: my parents weren't just getting older, they were also walking libraries of all our family stories! Their life experiences, anecdotes about our grandparents, even tales from my own childhood. When they're gone, all those stories would disappear with them.
Not too late
Then, I realised how lucky I was — it wasn’t too late to do something about it! My parents were still here, still sharp, still full of stories. Surely it would be easy to have deeper conversations and preserve those precious family stories?
Wouldn’t it?
Same old conversations
It turns out that old habits are hard to break.
Even during those rare meetups, we continued to cover the same ground — weather, work, the grandchildren’s latest antics. Those meaningful conversations I hoped to have? They never materialised. And gathering family stories felt overwhelming — where do you start? How do you organise decades of memories?
Apps not helping
Existing apps weren’t designed for what we needed.
WhatsApp, Facebook, Google Photos were great at ’connecting’ our family in a light-hearted way, but didn’t encourage conversations that would make us feel closer. And when it came to preserving family stories, we had data privacy concerns and feared our stories would be lost in an endless feed.
The perfect solution
So we imagined something better — a platform with:
- Story prompts to uncover family stories that matter – not just the big moments, but the everyday memories, learnings and thoughts we might not think to share ourselves.
- Media-rich story options, so memories can be preserved using photos, videos, maps and even voice recordings.
- Personal family profiles that honour both living relatives and ancestors, creating a lasting digital legacy for every family member.
The home of family stories
Humans have always bonded through stories, but social media lured us away with the promise of something simpler. Stories used to be told around campfires, on walks, at dinner tables, and now… on digital platforms. But photos, emojis and status updates can’t replace authentic storytelling.
That’s why we built Simirity — a private sanctuary where families share real stories that strengthen bonds across continents and generations.
Closer than ever
Today, I feel closer to my family than ever before.
I’ve discovered sides of my parents I never knew existed through conversations inspired by stories. Heirloom family memories are finally safe, with a surprising array of photos I’d never seen before. I’m equally delighted to be preserving my children’s childhood in vivid stories — both for our future memories and to keep their grandparents truly connected to their lives.
Timeless gifts
Each time I publish a story, it feels like offering a gift — something that will spark conversations and warm hearts for decades to come. I love it. It makes me feel good to be doing something that brings joy to people’s lives.
I hope you get to enjoy that feeling too.