Our Story
The idea behind Fonetti was partly as a result of me bringing up my own two dyslexic children, and even though they’re now both grown up with children of their own, they still find the idea of reading aloud terrifying.
That experience, coupled with watching my then 2 year old grandson navigating his way around my iPhone to watch his favourite cartoon on YouTube, (when he couldn’t even string a sentence together) made me think that a reading App like Fonetti could bridge the gap between gaming and reading.
I dreamt of creating something to support children with their reading by creating a safe, supporting, independent environment for them to practise their reading, while building confidence and promoting self esteem.
But it was only during a conversation over lunch one day with my Co-Founder Bil Bungay where we joined all the dots and pulled together the finance and resources to make the dream a reality.
Kim Antoniou
Co-Founder & CEO
Since then, children across the globe have been turning words green with their pronunciation and realising the incredible power of their voice.
Children who previously didn’t have access to a printed book but did have access to technology. Reading has become an interactive experience.
So much more than a game but ‘in-app’ entertainment that boosts literacy, builds confidence and nurtures valuable life skills as well as encouraging a love of reading and the spoken word.
Stories have an incredible power to unite us and change the shape of our world. With Fonetti they’re changing lives one minute at a time.
Our team
We have a truly engaged team of very clever people who are all highly motivated by our company mission which is to use our unique technology to help improve Reading and English language skills around the world.
Our leadership Team includes:-
- Kim Antoniou – Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer
- Dr Peter Bell – ASR Director and Reader in Speech Technology at The University of Edinburgh
- Colin Tankard – Chief Commercial Officer
We’re also really proud to have Broadcaster, Journalist, Author, Literacy Advocate and ‘National Treasure’ Clare Balding OBE as our Brand Ambassador.