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More than a decade ago, Pramod Sharma set out to make learning more engaging. Through AI and computer vision, his startup Osmo transformed iPad apps into hands-on experiences, letting kids use puzzle pieces and other physical objects to solve spelling and math problems on screen.
It was a lot of fun—until Osmo grew, and Sharma’s role shifted from inventing to managing. Meetings, PowerPoint decks, endless email threads took over. “At some point, you become a manager, and you spend a lot of time in communication,” Sharma tells Fast Company. “We realized a lot of our communication wasn’t fun.”
When Sharma and a few colleagues left Osmo four years ago, they decided to tackle that problem. The result is Napkin, a web app that uses generative AI to turn text and numbers into flow charts, diagrams, and other visuals. “You don’t need to be a graphic designer, you don’t need to be a visual thinker,” Sharma says. “Our vision is to democratize visuals for everyone.”
One year into its open beta, Napkin has surpassed five million registered users. Now, the company is preparing to monetize while staying true to the lessons learned from Osmo—chief among them: keep things light and approachable.
“Our users really love the fact that it’s playful,” Sharma says.
From Text to Visuals, with the Help of AI
Napkin’s experience starts with a screen that resembles a page from a school notebook. Users paste or write text, highlight the key parts, hit a magic button, and the app generates several draft visuals to help communicate the core ideas and numbers.
These visuals can be edited to highlight specific phrases or match a company’s branding. “When we started, we had this mindset that we wanted to push for a certain style,” Sharma says. “Now, we think of Napkin as a tool. Editing is a big part of that.”
Just as important is keeping the interface fun. “Traditionally, business products don’t tend to be fun,” Sharma says. “I used to think [that’s] because the boring stuff sells.”
With Napkin, Sharma wanted to try something different, starting with a frictionless onboarding experience. It’s a lesson drawn directly from Osmo. Kids, Sharma points out, won’t tolerate complexity. “If they don’t intuitively get it, they don’t want to play,” he says.
Like Osmo, Napkin encourages learning by doing. “We have no tutorial,” Sharma says. “That thinking comes from games.”
This hands-on approach also supports global adoption. Sixty percent of Napkin’s users don’t speak English, and the service supports dozens of languages. “South Korea is a big market for us,” Sharma says. “Japan is a huge market for us.”
Until now, Napkin has been free to use during its open beta. Soon, the company will introduce two paid subscription tiers, alongside a free plan. It has also started previewing API access for developers and companies looking to integrate the tool.
More Than Just a PowerPoint Replacement
The rise of generative AI has been a major advantage for Napkin. Sharma calls large language models a “huge accelerator.” But with that comes higher expectations, especially for visuals.
“Users have a high bar for AI,” Sharma says. “You can’t get away with 70 percent.” People may settle for rough graphics when making them on their own, but expect professional-grade output from AI. “An Apple keynote, or a TED talk: They want AI to get to that level,” he says.
Sharma doesn’t see Napkin as just a better slide tool. “It’s not just to build a better slide deck,” he says. He wants marketers, executives, and creators to tap into their visual creativity—something he compares to learning a new language.
“Before I went to college, I did not speak English at all,” says Sharma, who was born in India. “My family didn’t speak. I was in a small town. But once I went to college and started learning English, it opened my world in a very significant way.”
The same, he argues, can happen with visual communication. “What you think about new ideas changes,” he says.
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