[author: Ursual De la Sotta]
During the pandemic, Ursula De la Sotta saw that parents were struggling to explain to their children what was happening in the world. As a former advertising executive and content creator, Ursula realized that she could use stories to help parents talk to their children about issues big and small. The result was Cuentología. Ursula shares her own story and her vision for her company.
Q: What inspired you to found Cuentología?
Ursula: During the middle of the pandemic, parents and their desperation inspired me. Parents finally had time to be at home with their children, but they struggled to explain the pandemic, not really knowing how to connect and how to be playful at such a frightening and difficult time. At the time, I didn't have children, but my sister did – my niece and nephew. My sister and her friends were asking for resources to help explain the virus and why we were isolated and needed to wear masks. So, I started writing stories to explain the pandemic. And when I asked my sister what other stories would be relevant to her and her children, she came up with a huge list – like a story about drying your hair, because my niece hated using a dryer, or a story to teach her nephew how to feel comfortable sleeping in his own bed. My sister kept sending personal requests and I started writing about them.
Through this experience, I saw a huge need for a different kind of storytelling to connect parents and children – relevant contextually and immediate. A way to talk about difficult subjects, like the pandemic, but also subjects like war and diversity. The catalog started to grow. After a year living in Chicago where my husband was going to business school, I became a mom. That's when it clicked – that Cuentología should be launched in Hispanic communities and for Hispanic mothers like me.
Q: Tell us more about the company's products and mission.
Ursula: At Cuentología we produce audio stories and podcasts for children's social emotional development. All our content is designed to help parents connect with their children in different ways, from the routine to the really big questions. Some of our content helps parents facilitate daily routines, like audio stories and podcasts about brushing your teeth, cleaning up your room, or even cutting your nails – the small things about which parents and children squabble. Other stories encourage good behavior and habits – how to be emphatic, how to share, how to understand that mom is having a bad day. And then there is content to explain this crazy world – subjects like war, divorce, even death. We try to touch on subjects that speak to the challenges that children go through growing up from 3 to 8 years old. All our content is vetted by a psychologist.
Q: Cuentología's content is in Spanish and the Spanish-speaking world is a vast market. What is your go-to market strategy?
Ursula: Our original market grew organically in Latin America, between Mexico, Peru, and Argentina. In the next few years, our target market is the U.S. We're starting with a niche – but a fast growing one – the Hispanic market in the U.S. Because our focus is on supporting parents, we are giving a lot of thought to the unique needs and challenges of Hispanic parents. As an example, in my own case, I want to speak Spanish at home, but my son doesn't like to speak Spanish because he speaks English at school. So, we created a story about a secret map, which is in Spanish, and the person who knows Spanish can unlock the whole adventure. Speaking Spanish is a superpower – and something to be proud of.
After we conquer the U.S. Hispanic market, we plan to expand to other families by translating our content. Using AI, it is now possible to translate our stories into English quickly and accurately. But for the time being we need to focus and build our brand a step at the time.
Q: Your sister inspired you to start writing stories, and then she became your co-founder. The co-founder relationship is a special one in any case, but having a sibling as a co-founder adds another dimension. How have you and your sister worked together as co-founders?
Ursula: I had the original idea for Cuentología. My background is in advertising, and I wanted to create something artistic, handcrafted, almost like storytelling around a campfire. But I realized that if I wanted to build a business, I needed operations, finance, and business experience. That's when I reached out to my sister, who had studied business, and asked if she wanted to be part of this venture – "Let's go 50/50. I'll do everything related to the product and you'll do everything related to business." She was in. And that's how we have worked ever since. I don't interfere in her decisions about the operations and the daily business, and she doesn't question my artistic choices. Our relationship is based on trust – I trust her in her space, and she trusts me in mine. It's been really, really good.
Q: At Project W, we love following founders' journeys, and there have been a few Project W connections in yours. Let's talk about those.
Ursula: In September 2022, I was selected to pitch at the Springboard Enterprises Dolphin Tank in Chicago, which Project W sponsored. This was my first time talking about Cuentología in the U.S. My story really resonated with one of the panelists giving feedback – Kristen Sonday, a partner at LongJump, a venture fund based in Chicago. Kristen encouraged me to apply for funding from LongJump, but we weren't fundraising at the time. I made a note of her name and contact information and tucked it away for future reference. Fast forward, almost a year and a half later we started fundraising, and I reached out to Kristen who remembered me and Cuentología. She was amazing and I believe she was rooting for us through the entire process. About a month ago, LongJump invested in our pre-seed round.
Q: There are still a few more dots to connect. Kristen Sonday is also the co-founder of Paladin, which is a Project W portfolio company. Kristen's co-founder and the current chairperson of the Board of Paladin, Felicity Conrad, was part of our 2019 Women Entrepreneurs Boot Camp. You are also a Project W alumna, part of the cohort of our most recent Tech Equity Hub. What's next?
Ursula: We're still in the process of raising our pre-seed round, so that's a big focus. We have 35% of the round not only closed but in the bank. With everyone in a holiday mindset, we decided to pause in December, spend time with our families, and then come back in January to finish out the round. We feel like the market is improving, and we've got more conversations with investors scheduled in January. So, we're aiming to close the round in the first quarter, and I'm positive we'll make that goal.
Q: What advice can you share with other founders who are in the early stages of building their companies?
Ursula: I have two pieces of advice. First, keep showing up every day. It's all about consistency. There are going to be amazing days. There are going to be super bad days. But throughout it all, you just need to go back to your plan and keep moving forward.
Second, own your confidence. I don't have an MBA or similar pedigree. I don't have a network. I wasn't born in the U.S. It's hard for me to claim my space and to make connections. But when I do things I'm good at, my confidence builds up. So take pride in what you're good at, build your confidence, and know that you are capable of handling the next really difficult thing that comes your way.
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