From the historic towns of Glastonbury and Bruton, Noah and Indi are launching more than just an app; they’re spearheading a wellness revolution. Their creation, Tora, emerges as a beacon of hope in the urban jungle, particularly for university students battling loneliness.
As retail continues to evolve, integrating elements of immersive theatre and gaming as Tora has done could redefine consumer interaction. Retailers can draw inspiration from Tora’s model to create more experiential, dynamic shopping environments that not only offer products but also provide compelling stories and adventures, turning shopping into a holistic, immersive journey. This fusion of retail and experiential gaming could well be the future of retail, offering a potent antidote to the impersonality and isolation often associated with the digital era.
Tora: A Beacon in the Urban Wilderness
Developed during lockdown, amid screen saturation and financial woes, Tora transcends being a mere digital platform. Launching this October, it targets the escalating crisis of loneliness, especially pronounced among students.
The Personal Journey to Tora
Noah, while immersing himself in experimental theatre in 2020, found lockdown to be a double-edged sword — a halt to normal life, yet a catalyst for creativity. His strolls around London morphed into much more than mere walks; they became the foundations of Tora.
“Studying in London felt like an odyssey of solitude,” Noah recalls. “From making friends to decoding the Tube, the city felt alienating.” This isolation wasn’t unique to him. Co-founder Indi, too, experienced a similar disconnect upon moving to London during the pandemic.
From Concept to Reality
Their shared experiences resonated with a staggering 95% of students feeling isolated. This shocking statistic was the impetus behind Tora. With support from Virgin and a partnership with UCL University, the app is set to be a game-changer.
An Urban Playground
Tora reimagines the city as a vast, open-air stage, where users embark on interactive adventures. Virgin describes it as a groundbreaking social networking platform, blending gaming and theatrical techniques to combat solitude.
The app’s name, Tora, Greek for “Now,” encapsulates its ethos — reengaging the youth with the present, turning today’s urban spaces into realms of exploration and connection.
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