Wilmington startup creates app to ‘revolutionize’ managing household chores

WILMINGTON — A startup from Wilmington is working to take the hassle out of household chores.

Enter COWALA, founded by mother-of-four Christine Robichau. This week, she launched “The Chorez” app, a new, family-oriented mobile software platform for managing household chores.

“We have built a platform that solves the most common frustrations of parents and kids when it comes to family chores,” Robichau said in a statement. “It really was a labor of love, and while our family loves using the platform, it’s time to share it with the rest of the world.”

Robichau said the app goes beyond the offerings on the market today by introducing some innovative technology such as photo-review of chores so that parents don’t have to chase after their kids to assure that chores are done well. Parents can also set minimum weekly expectations for chore completion before a child unlocks earnings, which teaches children about consistency.

Another key feature is the integration of digital payments that allows a parent to release earnings digitally to a child’s Akimbo, Chorez Prepaid Mastercard.

“We heard lots of parents lament the fact that platforms such as Venmo and PayPal are unavailable to minors – we have solved that problem,” she said.

The app is currently available immediately on the App Store and Google Play as a mobile download.

Established in 2018, COWALA is one of several startups to launch out of the Wilmington region in recent years. Other successful tech startups include Untappd, Apiture and the only tech unicorn in the region, nCino, a financial tech venture backed by Live Oak Bank.