2023 was a wild ride here at Bark, and as we close out the year, we’re so glad you’re on this journey with us. Bark celebrated its 8th birthday this summer, along with a ton of other important, fascinating, and just plain fun milestones!
1: Inclusion in TIME’s Best Invention of 2023 list
This fall we had the honor of being named to TIME’s Best Inventions of 2023, joining a select group of devices, apps, and innovations that are changing the way we live today. The Bark Phone isn’t just a device for calling and texting — it’s paving the way for parents to teach their kids about technology in a safer way, something that hasn’t been done before.
430,000: Members of Parenting in a Tech World
In 2018, our Facebook group had just a few thousand people asking questions and giving advice. Fast forward to 2023, and nearly half a million parents have joined to support each other and provide guidance. From queries about the latest teen slang to unpacking thorny situations involving school and friends, Parenting in a Tech World is creating the village that we all need when it comes to raising kids in the digital age.
4: Musicians in Bason & the Barkettes
Every year, full-time Bark team members are invited to Atlanta for Bark Week, which is kind of like our own internal conference. We eat, we gather, we attend team-building events — it’s a blast. But this year the Bark team was treated to an extra-special surprise: Our CEO, our CTO, our COO, and our CEO’s son (also the reason why Bark was created!) joined forces for one night only to play live on stage in front of everyone at Bark Week. We all rocked out to a glorious cover of “Everlong” by the Foo Fighters. Let’s just say it brought the house down!
3: Whoopee cushion sounds unlocked in the Bark Phone
Product updates for our app and phone usually revolve around parent-requested features or new technical features that improve functionality. So imagine our surprise when the engineering team rolled out a purely fun — and funny! — new feature for the Bark Phone. When it’s enabled, all your child has to do is just shake their device to ahem, break wind — digitally, of course.
24: Bark employees in the #music Slack channel
As a remote company, we don’t have a physical water cooler to gather around in between meetings or a lunchroom to chat in while waiting to use the microwave. Instead, we have a variety of just-for-fun Slack channels — think chatrooms, but with topics. One of the most fun this year was our music channel, which enabled us to share playlists, discuss our favorite concerts, that new digital sphere venue in Las Vegas, and of course, all of our year-end Spotify Wrapped lists.
221: Number of times we said rizz (ironically & unironically)
Keeping up with the latest teen slang is part of what we do here at Bark, and our experts are constantly scouring the web, perusing social media, and getting reports from actual kids about what the hottest new words are. Topping the list this year was “rizz”, which means swag or charisma when it comes to romantic pursuits.
6: Bark babies born
The Bark team is a team full of parents, and this year we welcomed six new babies into the world. Congrats, future class of 2041!
1: Plaque on Atlanta Tech Village’s startup graduate wall
Bark’s office from the beginning was at Atlanta Tech Village, a startup incubator and co-working space in Atlanta. Once a company grows enough, raises enough money, and scales the team, they’re officially recognized as a “graduate” and receive a coveted plaque on the wall in the lobby. We’re so grateful for ATV’s support through the years — and all those delicious snacks!
29: Number of updates to our app & phone
Nothing is ever “done” at Bark — we’re constantly innovating and evolving. This year, we added incredible new features for our products, things like two-minute screen time warnings, alerts for 911 dials, and more.
451: Number of emails where people confused us with a dog toy company
Did you know that we're called Bark because our technology is like a family watchdog? That explains the dog logo and name! But that doesn't stop some folks from messaging us thinking that we're a different company altogether. Now we're wondering how many people chat with Chewy about parental controls!
∞: Gif reactions
Sure, Bark is compatible with English, Spanish, and Afrikaans, but did you know that when it comes to how our team communicates in Slack, Asana, Cooleaf, and email, gifs rule the day? From expressions of joy to hilarious animations of sarcasm, gifs express feelings the way words can’t always match.
Here’s to 2024…
We’ve got more incredible things in store for the upcoming year, so stay tuned for exciting news! In the meantime, join our Facebook group, check out our app reviews, and follow us on social media to join in on the ride.
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Bark helps families manage and protect their children’s digital lives.
