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Pok Pok , a kids ’ app manufacturer centre on make play - found learning experiences for the preschool set , has made a name for itself in the iOS developer community after winning both anApp Store award for ethnical impactand anApple Design Award . But now the caller is ready to spread out its reach by take its app and unexampled STEM - based activities to families with both iOS and Android devices , thanks to its late funding .
The app , Pok Pok Playroom , today offers 17 play experiences that are more akin to “ digital toy ” than games , as they allow kids to explore with creative sport . There are “ toys ” that respond to touches , drawing tool , those forinteracting with shapes , dress - up toy , dinosaur toysand much more .
Originally incubate inside Snowman , the studio behind honor - gain ground iOS games like Alto ’s Adventure , Alto ’s Odyssey , Skate City andothers , the melodic theme for Pok Pok egress from the company ’s finish of tinkering .
Snowman employeesMathijs DemaeghtandEsther Huybreghts , now Pok Pok VP of plan and chief creative officer , respectively , were attend for an app to harbour their young boy James when he was a toddler . However , the co - founders did n’t find many alternative they liked . They want something playful , but not too technical and not gamified . After prototyping a product , they showed it to Snowman co - founder and originative theater director Ryan Cash , who saw the electric potential . Ryan ’s sister , Melissa Cash , whose scope was in developing product for baby and toddlers at Disney , fall in the squad and is now CEO of the Pok Pok spinout .
The startup ’s growth arrest investor ’ attention , lead to a $ 6 million Series A. The round was led by Adjacent ’s Nico Wittenborn , who has also backed other subscription businesses like Oura , Calm , Clue and Blinkist . Also participate in the rhythm were Konvoy Ventures , Metalab Ventures , Banana Capital and other angel investor , including Instacart ’s Brandon Leonardo .
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“ That just did n’t sit right , ” said CEO Melissa Cash . “ So we decided to make some assignation changes . We set aside some cash from the round . We did a first near because we did n’t need to hold up everything , but we took cash out and did a second last , which actually took us longer to raise than the first close because it was very tough to find female investors who enter at Series A and beyond . ”
The squad found that a plenty of the woman - lead VCs incline to be pre - seminal fluid or seed or those who were involved in funds , but were n’t the decision - makers and turn back writers .
“ That nuance was fairly significant to us . And then we would get hold a mint of grand holy man investors , but they did n’t have the uppercase or the riches , candidly , to be able to adorn in a Series A because , obviously , there ’s a minimal bank check size of it . So it was a really eye - opening experience , ” she said . “ We thought if there ’s any company that can get female backing , it ’s Pok Pok . ”
The second close of the round take them longer than the first due to these challenge and admit investor like Michelle Kennedy from Peanut .
Another one of the raw investors finish up being Pok Pok ’s fractional CFO , Julie McGill , who ’s also an LP in several bigger venture monetary fund . Like Pok Pok ’s team , she was frustrated by the trouble the company was having to find women to add to the cap table . McGill ended up starting a sword - newfangled fund , Julie Change Fund , just to invest in Pok Pok . The fund will now focalize on land in loaded individual cleaning woman commit at the Series A stage and beyond .
“ Pok Pok is the catalyst for start a fund I have been think about for age ; this fund is my commitment to break barrier women face in accessing , driving and accumulating capital letter , ” McGill said in a command . “ We are thrilled to partner with Pok Pok , a ship’s company that excels at drive capital effective increment , conduce by two amazing women . ”
With the extra funds , Pok Pok is go to expand its offerings to admit more STEM - based activity , in response to parents ’ requests for more traditional learnedness experiences in the app alongside the more playful ace . The new activities will still be targeted to the preschool crowd , though Pok Pok is cognizant that even younger and older user proceed to expend its app and designs accordingly .
The fellowship will also be able to address need for Android later this fall . Many families have Android tablets for their kids because of the more approachable Leontyne Price full point , Cash said .
“ We require to make certain Pok Pok can be approachable to everybody . And we ’ve had thiswaitlistgrowing for quite some sentence , so we have thousands of users … just waiting for it , ” she said .
