Our topic this month is slightly atypical. We focused on kids-centered startups and platforms from around the region that are trying to take the pressure off the parents’ shoulders while the travel and physical socializing options equal to almost zero.
P.S. some are for adult-friendly, too😎
P.P.S. in case you missed it, our super-visual fintech report is available here.
Spotlight on kids’ edtech and edutainment
The famous World Health Organization’s Wash Your Hands With Peppa Pig is just the tip of the iceberg of the edutainment content out there.
Activities and socializing are crucial for the development of kids and, Covid19 aside, the summer in our region is already a tough nut to deal with. Luckily for all of us, there is an increasing number of regional startups/platforms focused on kids (from toddlers to teenagers) and their education, entertainment and socializing.
We prepared for you a snapshot of what the region offers in terms of online learning, coding, gaming, socializing & activities, robotics & engineering and books & music:
Under online learning there are 3asafeer and Alhodhud which are dedicated to teaching Arabic. Cherpa provides courses for teenagers (12-18y) in self-driving cars, building smart cities and cyber security. Coded Minds offers practical tech-enabled iSTEAM subjects designed for both children (4-16y) and adults. And PraxiLabs offers a 3D virtual lab simulation of physics, chemistry and biology.
Coding covers Coded, which runs coding programs (and bootcamps) for high school students and older wanna-be coders, HelloCode, a platform where kids can learn the concepts of coding, and Hello World Kids, which operates HelloCode and teaches programming at eight different levels.
In the gaming field there are players such as GBarena, Play3arabi, RABABA Games, Tamatem and The Stories Studio.
Socializing & activities include Join, a go-to guide for activities & clubs in Kuwait, Kiddo App, an education marketplace that recommends activities and classes in the UAE, Kidzapp, a platform listing activities for kids in the UAE and Egypt, Nowaday, a marketplace for kids clubs in Kuwait, and Play:Date, a UAE-based app that helps build your kids’ social circles.
The robotics & engineering field comprises Junkbot, where kids can make their own robots, and The Little Engineer.
Finally, books & music cover excellent platforms for audio books such as Dhad and Kitab Sawti. Book quizzes are available at Quizzito. Kidzigo is a YouTube channel streaming fairytales. And those who love music can take lessons at I3zif.
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TL;DR (too long; didn’t read)
Our region is home to a growing number of edtech and edutainment startups and platforms tailored for kids (and not only them). We prepared an overview of the most interesting players in online learning, coding, gaming, socializing & activities, robotics & engineering and books & music.
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Family Postcard
5 US stores and 15 minimalist jewelry brands
Mejuri opened its 5th retail store in the US located in Boston and it is one of the 15 best minimalist jewelry brands to shop now.
2 integrations
Dana Baki, the co-founder of MUNCH:ON, got listed as no4 in Forbes Middle East’s ‘Women Behind Middle Eastern Tech Brands’ top 10 list.
🎙️🎙️🎙️
TruKKer‘s founder and CEO Gaurav Biswas had an interview with Arab News. Tamatem was featured in The National UAE. Also, iKcon was quoted in an article on the GCC’s cloud kitchen sector by Wamda.
And Shieldfy is now live on Product Hunt.
Latest Jobs @ArzanVC Family
- Senior Software Engineer (Python) at POSRocket (Jordan)
- Technical Support Astronauts at POSRocket (Egypt)
- Back- and front-end developers at Zid (KSA)