<blockquote>
“I couldn’t really explain it,” he says. “It made me realize that I really wanted to make things, something you can hold in your hand, something that lasts longer than a digital product. I wanted to give something to my children."
From this desire, Petrikas started smart toy company Vai Kai with Justyna Zubrycka, an industrial designer who once worked in a wooden toy factory. Together,they arrived at Avakai, a traditonally crafted wooden doll in the style of Russian Matryoshka dolls, but with Bluetooth enabled tech that allows it to respond to touches and communicate with other dolls.</blockquote>