Building the world’s first intergenerational storytelling platform — and with it, a permanent cultural ecosystem.
Founded by April Swando Hu · Yale BSc EE · Stanford MBA
WWII survivors, pre-digital witnesses, first-generation diaspora. Their stories exist nowhere else. No archive. No recording. Nothing.
70 million Chinese diaspora across the world — one of the largest and most culturally rich communities — with almost no authentic story archive to speak of.
A language dies every two weeks. With it goes the poetry, the proverbs, the names for things that have no translation. We are racing against this.
Treasures Bowl pairs TB Listeners — young people aged 15–25 — with TB Storytellers aged 85 and above, guided and accompanied by TB Matchmakers aged 50–70: senior leaders in their own life transition who recruit Storytellers, train Listeners, and accompany interviews. Together they form a three-generation triangle that no other platform has built. Stories are captured on video, preserved, shared with families, and — with consent — licensed to researchers, heritage organisations, docudrama producers, and streaming platforms.
The platform is device-agnostic: mobile, iPad, and laptop modalities are all supported. Elder comfort determines the standard.
Story Listener and Storyteller meet. A guided conversation unfolds — structured by topic and time, warm enough to go wherever the story leads.
The story is captured on video, edited with AI assistance into shareable clips and photo montages. Quality-checked. Consent-verified on blockchain.
Stories are shared with families, licensed to institutions, and archived permanently. The elder’s galaxy lives on — for generations to come.
Story Listeners are trained via a proprietary Story Listener Guide before their first interview. Each conducts one structured video conversation with an 85+ elder. Training, matching, and quality support provided throughout.
The NUS Distinguished Senior Fellowship Programme (Aug–Nov 2026) is an executive-level programme for senior leaders aged 50–70 in life transition. Up to 5 DSFP members join as founding TB Matchmakers — recruiting Storytellers from their networks, training Listeners, and accompanying interviews. Their Impact Project culminates in a public showcase on November 4.
Every TB Listener receives a SGD 50 scholarship per completed interview — disbursed only on receipt of structured feedback. We are testing three incentive models: accept the scholarship, gift it to another Listener or Storyteller, or decline. A focus group after the first 30 stories shapes the final platform.
Singapore-based youth aged 15–25 who are curious, empathetic, and willing to sit with an elder and truly listen. Bilingual (English + Mandarin or dialect) preferred. No prior experience required — just presence and care.
The Sprint runs October – December 2026 in Singapore, with sample pilots in select regions through champion Story Listeners. Media outputs published January 2027. This sprint becomes the foundation for the 2027 Chapter model.
Train with a proprietary guide. Interview one 85+ Storyteller. Capture a story that will outlast both of you.
Senior leaders in life transition: this is your impact project. Recruit Storytellers from your network. Train and accompany youth Listeners. Bridge the generations.
Anchor Treasures Bowl within your diaspora or community. A TB Steward supports the methodology in one community. A TB Chapter is a fully licensed territory — with its own Storytellers, Listeners, and Matchmakers.
Expressions of interest open now. Chapter terms and fees confirmed in 2027 after the Singapore Sprint.
Express InterestTreasures Bowl is actively recruiting for three roles. The Founding CEO (PRIORITY #1) runs operations day-to-day so the Founder & Executive Chair can build the global Chapter network.
All roles are mission-aligned and equity-bearing. Full role descriptions available on request.
Enquire About Roles
April Swando Hu
Founder & Executive Chair · 不忘初心
The most impactful assignment in eight years of Youth Leaders Davos was always the same: “Go home and interview your oldest living relative.” Every cohort. Every country. The responses that came back changed young people permanently — and reminded elders that their stories mattered.
Treasures Bowl is what happens when that assignment becomes a platform. April has trained more than 10,000 youth in structured family interviewing across 8 years. She knows what a good story conversation looks like — and she has built the methodology to make it repeatable at scale.
She is building Treasures Bowl in Singapore from October 2026, with a network spanning Hong Kong, Europe, and the Chinese diaspora globally. The founding team is being assembled now.
Get in touchStory Listener · Chapter Interest · Founding Team · General
We’ll be in touch soon. Every story begins with a conversation — and this is ours.