Jeanette Symons wants to make your kids smarter.

Phil Harvey, Editor-in-Chief

March 8, 2006

2 Min Read
Symons Says

1:00 AM -- Jeanette Symons wants to make your kids smarter.

From The Philter's Where-Are-They-Now file, a new venture from one of the founders of Ascend Communications and Zhone Technologies Inc. (Nasdaq: ZHNE):

Industrious Kid Inc., a unique new child-focused Internet company led by technology visionary and entrepreneur Jeanette Symons, today announced its official launch with an overview of the company’s mission and the introduction of its executive team.

Industrious Kid’s charter is to develop premium online products and destinations that are purpose-built for the rapidly growing population of children and tweens now accessing and using the Internet. The company’s goal is to enable children to learn and grow as they use the Internet, while simultaneously ensuring a greater level of creativity, excitement and personal security for each child’s online user experience. Industrious Kid’s age-appropriate products, services and destinations strike a unique balance between the fun and stimulation that children desire and the safety and guidance that parents demand…

“We are looking to raise the bar with our Industrious Kid products, which are designed from the ground up with a child’s security and overall user experience in mind,” said Symons. “As an example, many of the so-called security features that the industry has released or announced thus far rely on voluntary behavior modification by kids. Instead of trying to resolve issues surrounding children and Internet usage this way, our approach is to develop better alternative destinations that provide not only a higher value user experience but also a greater level of parental insight and control. That way both children and parents’ needs are met in a way that’s realistic and results oriented…

Joining Ms. Symons on Industrious Kid’s executive team are technology veterans Lori Brown, who will serve as the company’s Chief Operating Officer, and Tim Donovan, who will serve as the company’s Vice President of Marketing. Ms. Brown was most recently Vice President of Engineering Operations at Zhone Technologies, and previously served as Vice President of the High Speed Routing Division of Ascend Communications. Mr. Donovan brings more than 19 years of consumer technology marketing and public relations experience to Industrious Kid, having held senior management positions with leading technology companies including Ascend Communications, Kineto Wireless, UTStarcom (NASDAQ: UTSI) and Zhone.

Alright, Junior. Go to your room, get on the Internet, and play with some of those results-oriented online products your Auntie Jeanette was raving about. Daddy'll be down in the living room tossing back black-and-tans and watching Batman cartoons.

— Phil Harvey, Childish Editor, Light Reading

About the Author(s)

Phil Harvey

Editor-in-Chief, Light Reading

Phil Harvey has been a Light Reading writer and editor for more than 18 years combined. He began his second tour as the site's chief editor in April 2020.

His interest in speed and scale means he often covers optical networking and the foundational technologies powering the modern Internet.

Harvey covered networking, Internet infrastructure and dot-com mania in the late 90s for Silicon Valley magazines like UPSIDE and Red Herring before joining Light Reading (for the first time) in late 2000.

After moving to the Republic of Texas, Harvey spent eight years as a contributing tech writer for D CEO magazine, producing columns about tech advances in everything from supercomputing to cellphone recycling.

Harvey is an avid photographer and camera collector – if you accept that compulsive shopping and "collecting" are the same.

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