Toy figurines and hybrid learning app for kids play in €3.35 million for Munich’s women-led startup

Munich-based edtech startup Edurino has raised €3.35 million in a seed round. The round was led by btov Partners. Other backers include experienced VCs such as Emerge Education and Fabian and Ferry Heilemann through Pirate Impact. All existing investors from the angel round participated again, including Jens Begemann (Wooga). New angels include Verena Pausder (Fox & Sheep), Ben Drury (Yoto) and Christian Felgenhauer and Maurice Khudhir (StudySmarter).

Offering a hybrid learning platform with an app and toy figurines for children, the startup was founded in 2021 by Irene Klemm and Franziska Meyer. With the aid of an ergonomic stylus, a toy fox named Mika, and a learning app, this hybrid approach to reading and writing was designed for preschoolers aged 4 and above.

The additional investment will help the women-led startup to bring more figurines to market and develop more content, such as numeracy to become a holistic learning system for preschool children and then older school children. The company also aims to launch their products in the retail sector this year as well.

Irene Klemm, co-founder of Edurino said: “Laying the foundation for responsible digital literacy at an early age is vital. We were amazed at how few good digital products there were on the market. Together with our strong investor team from the areas of gaming, education and tech, we want to revolutionise the digital education industry.”

While children learn through play, parents can track their children's learning progress in a separate area and regulate screen time individually. The app independently announces the end of play time and switches off when the screen time has elapsed. The learning journey thereby adapts individually to the developmental stage of the child.

Franziska Meyer, co-founder of Edurino said: “We want to create products children will love. You have to look at the world from a different perspective and understand kids' sense of play. We have worked with over 20 kindergartens and seen how well Edurino can be integrated into a child’s daily routine. Our crowdfunding campaign went 60% beyond our target, so we see confirmation from parents that our hybrid approach is on the right track."