Stockholm’s imagiLabs, an all-female founded startup that makes coding more accessible to young girls, has raised €250,000 in pre-seed funding to continue growing internationally and building its community of coders.
Founded in 2018, and an alumnus of both Apple’s Entrepreneur Camp and Google for Startups, the edtech company is bridging the gender divide in coding with its wearable device, the imagiCharm. The imagiCharm is a self-programmed light-up accessory. With a matrix of LEDs, the device can be customised to display tens of thousands of different designs based on the Python code written by a user into the imagiLabs iOS or Android apps. The apps also allow the girls to share coding tips and design ideas. Launched about eight months ago, the product is picking up steam. The startup reports imagiCharm sales increased by 300 percent between Q3 and Q4 of 2020. CEO and co-founder Dora Palfi commented on the importance of starting kids early, especially girls, to prepare for a more equitable and inclusive tech world. “Only by supporting young girls while at school can we build gender parity in tech for future generations,” she said. In fact, imagiLabs does offer services for educators, such as teacher training, lesson plans or even school visits. “This funding will help us on our mission to get as many young girls into coding as possible,” Palfi added. Angel investors backing the round include Eros Resmini, founder of The Mini Fund and former CMO of messaging platform Discord; David Baszucki, CEO of gaming giant Roblox; members of Atomico’s angel program; Lisa Gradow, co-founder & CMO at Usercentrics; and Propel Capital, the investment arm of Stockholm’s tech incubator Sting.
Photo: co-founders Beatrice Ionascu, Dora Palfi and Paula Dozsa
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