Why Zapooca?

The internet provides ways of communicating that develop rapidly both for organizations and individuals. It doesn't really matter who you are - if you're a creative or a bank, the internet has provided something to your life. It's revolutionized analog processes in all sectors of human development and provided new ones that had formerly been impossible to execute. Good on you, Internet! Whether it's worthy of all the time you spend on it or not, it's central to modern life as a human.

The focus of 2025 appears to be emerging technology. AI, first and foremost, but also new social media platforms, alignments, and causes are forged daily. The value of new efforts is being tested at record pace. It can look like what we care for, or even need from connectivity, is being forgotten. 

What we are doing here at Zapooca is quietly starting a place for Tarot readings to live. Much to our surprise, (but not really,) nobody has ever done this. When we think about why this is, what comes to mind is:

1. Tech people notoriously dismiss Tarot as unworthy of any attention. Therefore, nothing has been implemented on the internet to solve their relative frustrations.
2. Tarot has very specific requirements for its physicality, which doesn't merge into other patterns solved by tech (unless you consider Poker, which has been done over and over by tech people, see point 1.)
3. Overlap of Tarot readers and tech people with woo-woo industry knowledge and skills to build apps is almost non-existent.
4. Speculative apps that are built to attract a large audience of users doing one thing have historically had an interest in exploiting such users (see point 2) and capitalizing on a lot of attention.
5. Apps that can't define intent as exploitative, problem-solving, or money-making don't attract developers or capital.

All this said, I'm pleased to report that I am a developer who:

1. Has some sense of Tarot readers' work and marketing.
2. Believes in Tarot.
3. Would rather stop all work than exploit anyone.
4. Has deep appreciation for Art, Folk Art, and Magic.
5. Can build an app that is useful to Tarot readers on their own terms.

Zapooca has a few market advantages. It's the first of its kind. All apps like it are reading generators, which have their place, but don't cater to the spiritually alive art of Tarot. It provides an informatic equivalent, or mirror, for Tarot readers to register readings, share them, and market themselves. Without this tool, Tarot readers have been going to video and images to share their work and provide value to their clients - a practice that isn't ideal for anyone who wants to keep their phone number and location to themselves. 

We have many features in mind for Zapooca, and have plans to introduce them in due time. For now, free accounts are coming online to give everyone who cares to, a chance to try out a limited feature set that will evolve into public-facing readings, custom spreads, multiple decks, and blogs. We welcome as much feedback as you'd be willing to share in order to make the app more useful for all users - readers and clients. We're delighted to bring this to market and seek a business model that is equitable, well-provisioned, and empowering for everyone involved.

Now, back to feature-making.