Greenpoint resident Eddie Robb created a service called Poppit that provides personalized recommendations for local parents looking for activities to do with their children.
Poppit was inspired by the arrival of Robb’s daughter nine months ago. “The idea for Poppit stemmed from my own experience searching for activities to do with my daughter, Mary,” Robb told Greenpointers.
“Our goal is to eliminate the hassle of discovering and planning experiences,” Robb explained, adding that he found the search disjointed and noticed that multiple sites offered scattered pieces of information.
“There was no single source of truth for what was happening, and it was time-consuming to sift through various sites to find the best options for us,” Robb said. “I wanted a reliable platform that provided personalized recommendations, helping me save time and alleviate the FOMO I often felt.”
Poppit provides a tailored list of activities and events geared toward children aged 1 to 10, taking into account each family’s interests. After signing up on the website, each Poppit user receives three recommendations for both morning and afternoon slots on Saturday and Sunday, so there are 12 suggestions in total. Under each recommended activity, Poppit highlights the cost, location, and time, plus which ages would most enjoy it.
“We’ve intentionally limited our offerings to weekend events as we build our platform,” Robb explained. “We’re improving our personalization each week and are working toward expanding our offerings to include activities throughout the entire week.”
The Poppit software uses artificial intelligence to search and learn about activities. “We welcome anyone hosting an event to let us know about it via [email protected], but we are confident in the long run in our AI being able to pick up on everything that’s going on and recommend it to the most relevant people,” Robb said.
Robb is dedicated to supporting local North Brooklyn businesses. He hopes that partnering with local venues and events will strengthen community ties in addition to helping families.
Poppit currently only delivers recommendations to residents of Greenpoint and Williamsburg, but the activities that are recommended do extend beyond North Brooklyn because Robb found that families are willing to travel for high-quality experiences. “We prioritize activities closer to home and are eager to see more options in the Greenpoint area,” Robb added.
Robb envisions a vibrant social element for the future of Poppit. He wants to create a space that makes it easy for parents to plan outings with friends, fostering real-world connections in a time when many feel isolated.
Robb aims to have the social element implemented “soon.” He told Greenpointers that Poppit is “starting with discovery for individual parents and soon will layer on the multi-person element—supporting people to connect with existing friends and make new ones.”