A digital solution for holding on to what's most important.
Most folks we know find solace and inspiration in the solitude of the outdoors. Away from the hustle and bustle of modernity, we are afforded opportunities to think abstractly, and gain time for personal reflection. Our excursions offer us much-needed breaths of fresh air, however cliché, and sparks of inspiration—just as Omar Alvarez, founder of Kinnect, experienced on the trails of Patagonia.
When you eventually retire from wild expeditions, you’ll have something by which to remember the good ol' days, and to prove to your kids that you actually used to be cool.
Kinnect is a digital solution for preserving memories with friends and loved ones. The software functions as an archive, enabling you to compile written records, audio files, photographs, and videos onto a secure, online space. You can invite others to contribute to your personal storybook as well, allow for improved accuracy and richer narratives. Unlike traditional means of recording events and milestones, such as journaling, Kinnect prompts its users with specific questions, allowing the individual to create a time capsule for both current friends and future generations. However, Omar’s ambition was not spurred by a desire to tell his own story, but rather to preserve the biographies and memories of his loved ones.
Omar's place of inspiration
Just the sort of thing we don't want to forget
When diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, Omar’s grandfather expressed his desire to begin documenting his life story for his children and grandchildren. However, there was not a streamlined process or software, only old-fashioned journaling, voice recordings, and the arduous process of scrapbooking. While these means of record-keeping would have sufficed for younger, more-apt individuals, they were impractical for his grandfather. As a result, very little of what his grandfather had hoped to share with his family was ever recorded.
“When my grandfather died, my mother was distraught. She blamed herself for not preserving his story, and for attempting to rely on memory alone.” Omar says. “Most of what we remember about him today is from only the last five years of his life.”
With Kinnect’s library of prompts, there's no shortage of inspiration or direction. Better yet, friends and family can create their own prompts, so nothing is left unsaid.
Years later, a close friend suffering from cancer expressed a similar desire to Omar, asking if he knew of a way to preserve memories for his loved ones.
Years had gone by since his grandfather passed, yet Omar’s research at the request of his friend yielded nothing. The online programs he found did not ensure privacy or data protection, and other means, whether digital or handwritten, were simply too disorganized. What good is preserving your story if you can’t share it with others?
Kinnect provides prompts to jog your memory and recount moments like these
Omar couldn’t accept that there wasn’t a modernized way to record and share the lives and memories of two cherished people. Despite his frustrations, or perhaps because of them, Omar set out to backpack the Patagonian “O-Circuit.” Walking 12 to 14 miles each day afforded him the space to reflect on this conundrum, and on the fourth day of his journey, he realized what he had to do.
“During my time in Patagonia, standing before beautiful glaciers, I felt so small. So insignificant. I was asking myself what can I contribute?” he recalls. In that moment, Omar decided to take the leap. Instead of complaining about the problem, he could create a solution: “Sitting at the feet of the magnificent glaciers at sunset, I knew fear was no longer an option," he remembers. "I have the professional experience, I’m strong, and I love the outdoors. I thought to myself. I’m gonna fix this.” Thus, Kinnect was born.
None of us know what tomorrow holds, so if you don’t want your memories to die with you, it’s good to start thinking how you will record them.
The easy-to-use software allows folks to save their memories to private, invite-only groups. But for Omar, creating a space to write your story was too simple. He was determined to solve what most consider the hardest part of storytelling: knowing where to start. With Kinnect’s library of writing prompts, there is no shortage of inspiration or direction. Better yet, the friends and family you invite to work with you can create their own prompts, so nothing is left unsaid.
Views from the Patagonian "O-Circuit" trail
With Kinnect, rather than just keeping all the records of our outdoor escapades to ourselves in notes apps, scattered journal entries, and crumpled trail maps, we can preserve them in an organized and coherent fashion. While older folks can work backwards to record their life stories, younger people can work proactively and ensure that their outings are not lost to memory. Best of all, when you eventually retire from an active life, you’ll have something to hold onto, to help remember the good ol' days, and prove to your kids you actually used to be cool.
Omar’s journey has been a deeply personal one. “It taught me to appreciate the little things—the moments we often overlook,” he says. “Kinnect is about living in the present while still holding onto what matters most.”
None of us know what tomorrow holds, and if you don’t want your memories to die with you, it’s good to start thinking how you will record them. It’s never too late—or too early—to start sharing them.
Kinnect is now available on the Apple App Store, with a separate product offering to design your own hard-copy storybook. Learn more about Kinnect on their website, here.
