Survivor stars launch social accountability app Paprclip

Kyle Fraser and Kamilla Karthigesu, former contestants on Survivor—a reality television competition series—have launched Paprclip, a new goal-focused social accountability app. Introduced on Tuesday, the platform is designed to help users track personal goals and complete daily challenges through shared progress. Karthigesu, who works as a staff engineer (a technical job title) at the communication platform Discord, teamed up with Fraser to build the application.

To fund the ongoing development of the platform, the co-founders are utilizing a mix of grant funding and public crowdfunding. The project’s financial structure includes:

• A $20,000 grant from the Flemming Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Hampden-Sydney College, alongside dedicated UX/UI design funding from the Zell Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurship at the University of Michigan.
• A fundraising campaign on Kickstarter, where the team is aiming to raise an additional $40,000.

The founders emphasize that Paprclip focuses on human-led development rather than artificial intelligence. Fraser, a co-founder, stated that it was important to the team that the application be made by people, for people. The application features randomized daily challenges developed in coordination with licensed, clinical therapists to push users outside their comfort zones. Users can complete these challenges in pairs, tracking progress and earning badges, or use the app individually to replace traditional habit trackers. Fraser noted that the tool is not limited to health and wellness, but can be applied to any hobby or endeavor.

The concept for Paprclip emerged from Fraser’s personal recovery. Fraser tore his Achilles during the filming of the first immunity challenge on the reality show, forcing him to undergo months of physical therapy. Managing his rehabilitation alongside other life events sparked the idea for a shared accountability tool. Fraser, co-founder of Paprclip, noted, “I’m very much a habit tracker, an organization hacker,” but realized that existing productivity tools lacked a collaborative element. By sharing short-form clips of their progress, users can keep each other accountable and document their journeys in a shared journal.

Why it matters

Paprclip attempts to translate the high-stakes social dynamics of reality television into a productivity tool, betting that social accountability—rather than just individual tracking—is the missing link in habit formation.