Stormz V3: A Rebirth Story
I built Stormz in 2012.
Back then, I was a facilitator who couldn't find a tool that worked the way I needed. So I built one. A brainstorming platform that was simple enough for participants to use in seconds, and powerful enough for me to facilitate groups of hundreds.
That tool became Stormz V2. It grew. Facilitators around the world adopted it. Big companies too! Stormz, even if lesser known than Miro or Mural, has powered hundreds of workshops and been used by tens of thousands of participants. I watched people use it to make real decisions, surface real ideas, and do their best collective thinking together.
I'm proud of what V2 became.
But over the years, something started to nag at me.
V2 was built for expert facilitators. People like me. People who already know what a diverge-converge flow looks like, who can design a multi-step session plan in their sleep. And for those people, it worked beautifully.
But what about everyone else?
The trainer who just wants one interactive moment in their webinar. The team lead running their first retro. The consultant who doesn't have two hours to prep a session. For them, V2 was too much. Too many options. Too steep a learning curve.
And honestly? The world changed. AI changed everything. The way people meet changed. The expectations changed. V2 was showing its age.
So I made a decision that scared me a little.
I didn't patch V2. I didn't add another feature on top.
I started over.
What Stormz V3 is becoming
V3 is not a V2 rebuild. It's a rethink of what a workshop platform should feel like in 2025 and beyond.
The guiding principles are simple:
- Easier. No setup, no learning curve. Launch an activity in one click. Participants participate directly from Zoom chat. It just works.
- More fun. Emoji clouds, interactive maps, visual activities that make people smile. The kind of moments that make participants say "wait, what tool was that?"
- Works everywhere. A dedicated mobile experience for in-person workshops.
- More powerful. When you need it. Breakout groups, advanced classification, multiple voting systems, async workshops. The depth is there, it just doesn't get in the way anymore.
- Agentic AI deep integration. Not as a gimmick, not as a chatbot. As a real partner. An AI agent that helps you analyse what emerged, spark new ideas, and make sense of complexity.
Who it's for (first)
I'm building V3 step by step, starting with the people who need it most.
- If you're a beginner facilitator — V3.0 is built for you first and gives you the simplest possible way in. No planning required. One-click activities. A smooth experience from start to finish.
- If you run live sessions — webinars, trainings, facilitainment — V3.0 will give you: direct participation from Zoom chat, OBS overlays for sophisticated visual experiences. Moments people remember.
- If you run large, complex workshops — once we got the first two use cases nailed down, that's where V3.x grows next. Classification systems, self-paced activities, breakout groups, advanced AI, and the kind of control you need at scale.
A few honest words
Some features from V2 won't be in V3.0. That's intentional.
Some will come back later. Some won't.
If you're a hardcore V2 user, I hear you. I will listen. I will bring back the best of V2 into V3. But our shared goal is to bring more people into Stormz, and that means making it irresistible for beginners, not just comfortable for experts.
The road ahead
V3 is being released progressively. Here's what that looks like:
- Pre-Alpha (now) — I'm using V3 in real sessions. Participants can join, but I'm the only facilitator.
- Private Alpha (invitation only) — A small group of trusted users gets access. Things will be rough, features will be missing, the UI will move fast. Your data can be wiped at any time. Don't run important sessions here.
- Private Beta (invitation only) — Access expands. The product becomes more usable. Your workshop data is safe from this point on.
- Open Beta — Anyone can join. Much more robust, though some features are still evolving.
- V3.0 — Stable and production-ready for core use cases. Still not feature-complete compared to V2, but solid where it counts.
Built in the open
V3 is being built in the open, and I'd love your help.
- Join my live sessions — participate, experience V3 as an attendee, and give me your precious feedback.
- Test as a facilitator — if you get early access, run small sessions, push the limits, break things.
- Share the word — I am alone in this journey. I need your help to make Stormz V3 a success.
Want in?
V3 is rolling out progressively, from pre-alpha to private alpha to open beta to a stable release.
If you want to be part of the journey, join the waitlist.
Stormz V3. Same mission. New beginning.