Most note-taking apps are designed to increase your productivity and efficiency. Many of those apps focus on helping you better organise your thoughts, write them down quickly, or do both at once. By emphasising mindfulness, Napkin (not to be confused with the Accel-backed startup of the same name) hopes to stand out among similar apps. Consider it to be a kind of journaling companion.
The app was first developed in 2022 by its founders, David Felsmann and Fabian Wittel, who had previously worked in BMW’s group innovation wing. They originally made a web prototype available. However, the app’s primary focus at the time was productivity and assisting you in outlining thoughts related to particular subjects. They also observed that a sizable portion of users utilised Napkin as a mindfulness technique, using it to pause and consider concepts that held personal significance.
When the firm began developing its iOS app, it subsequently turned its attention to the mindfulness market; the desktop app was kept up to date for current customers. Because of its mindfulness approach, the firm has positioned itself in the health and fitness space rather than productivity or utility.
Every note has a distinct nature. We assist people in capturing concepts that alter their mental states. Something that inspired you or caused you to alter your viewpoint, for example, and you wish to think about it later. These are the concepts that you get using Napkin as a practice in mindfulness, according to Felsmann.
Through the camera, users can record their thoughts and ideas, including quotations from books, which are then turned into text. They could just type these ideas as well. Napkin has put together a list of introductory session ideas that you may save in your resource library. AI is used by the app to automatically produce tags that categorise various concepts. These themes or tags can also be viewed on the home screen at a later time.
Ideas can be archived by users to make them disappear from view along with any associated flags. Although the software is currently optimised for English, it can comprehend additional languages such as Spanish and German.
Many users used the app first thing in the morning to reflect on themselves rather than logging onto social media, according to Felsmann. The app’s foundation, according to the co-founders, is a concept known as the “Sense of Coherence” (SoC) model, which helps you maintain your composure and create a comprehensive mental picture of the outside world.
For $6 a month or $50 a year, you can get Napkin from the App Store. Also, you can try the app for seven days with a trial.
The developer of the software claims that because they don’t want to interfere with users’ experience, they don’t give them any nudges or notifications. “We don’t want to make consumers’ lives much noisier. Felsmann stated, “We would love to be a background application that is a calm area of retention for them rather than screaming for attention.
Napkin considers itself to be more of a friend than a substitute for those who journal. The software may eventually integrate with the Amazon Kindle and other well-known journaling apps, making it simple for users to jot down thoughts and utilise them for journaling.
Although the company hasn’t raised any institutional capital, it has received checks totalling about $150,000 from supporters and believers in the form of convertible loan agreements. Napkin intends to achieve sustainability with more than 10,000 subscribers, not to generate money. There are about 4,000 paying users at the moment. The business will think about developing apps and integration features for additional platforms after it reaches its objective.
