Lyra

Hey everyone! Cat here, one of Lyra’s co-founders. We’re stoked to see to see Lyra come to life. It’s easy to learn for children, parents, and speech therapists alike; based on leading evidence based methodologies; and it’s more affordable than any other product in the market. For those of you that aren’t familiar: Lyra is a type of AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) system. And while many AAC systems have been helpful in increasing children’s communication skills, we knew from our own experience (some of our co-founders have lived in the world of autism personally and professionally for quite some time now) as well as the countless conversations with other parents that there needed to be a more intuitive, technologically advanced, and affordable solution. A product that would be easier for parents and therapists to set up (and not feel mechanical to ‘program’), and one that would be designed specifically for children on the autism spectrum who struggle with verbal communication. Simple, focused and beautiful. Our voice and in turn our means to communicate are what enable us to participate in our communities, and share our identity with the world. But for those who struggle to make words with their own voice, that connection can be lost. With Lyra, your child has a voice at their fingertips, and we can’t wait to hear all they have to say. Because early intervention is key to success, it's our mission to ensure Lyra is used by every child that needs it. So for every (10) 1-year subscriptions we sell, we'll be giving 1 away free to a child in need. Would love your thoughts!

Hey, I’m March, one of Lyra’s other co-founders. I wanted to touch more on something from Cat’s comment about our own experience. From the beginning this has been a very personal project. Lyra is named after the girl who inspired it—myself and my wife Kristin’s daughter! A girl with a ready smile, a love of raspberries and tickles. A girl who has autism, and has challenges with communication. Ever since her diagnosis eight years ago we have struggled to find tools that would help our daughter communicate her needs and build her language skills. I’m sure every parent can empathize with the pain of wishing so much to help your child but not having the tools to do it. We’ve tried pretty much every tool available and while they help they are often complicated, expensive and didn’t seem designed for our specific needs. We decided to combine our personal need with our skills & passion to create Lyra—a symbol to speech app designed specifically for children with autism. We’ve been using the app with our own Lyra for several months as we refined and experimented with the design. The simplicity of it helps us give Lyra the words she needs right when she needs them. I can’t express how it feels to finally have a tool that really fits our daughter’s needs. We’re so excited to share it with the world. I feel very fortunate to have such a great set of co-founders. Kristin is a veteran autism mom and fierce advocate for Lyra and other children with autism. Over the past 8 years she has become an expert in behavior, speech and child led therapies and was our first user. Cat, as well as being a superb designer & experienced founder, has spent time in the special education field working predominantly with children on the autism spectrum. Ben and Asa are world class professionals in creating powerful & intuitive products. Together we’re at the beginning of realizing my long held dream to give my daughter, and other children like her, a voice.

Congrats on the launch Cat (and team!). You're so prolific, I don't know how you do it. The real life photos/categories feature, and the contextual linking functionality, is really wonderful. I'll be sharing this with family and will pass on any feedback.

Congrats on launching Lyra, @imcatnoone and @marchr. After only worked a little while in converting a product to be more accessible, my eyes are open and how much is still required to cross many bridges in this space. Thank you for working on much needed and important problems to solve!

Wow! This looks brilliant, congrats on the launch!

Great work Cat!

Super excited to see this launch! Bravo @marchr @imcatnoone and others! Since this is PH, one product question I'm curious to learn how you handled was the pricing model. You mentioned making it more affordable than any other product, having a mission to ensure Lyra is used by every child that needs it, and a donation program based on sales. If I was building an app like this, especially with the personal connections you mentioned, I can see myself REALLY struggling to price it at a rate that balances the mission of giving access to the most people possible, while at the same time turning a profit to keep development going. How'd you think about this for Lyra?