Sandbox Partners (SBX) has taken a minority stake in award-winning, Brooklyn-based studio and and educational kids’ app developer Tinybop, becoming the company’s largest institutional shareholder.
With a global footprint spanning London, New York, Boston and Singapore, SBX’s investment in Tinybop complements its growing learning ecosystem, which aims to educate children for the world of tomorrow. It will support Tinybop’s ambitions to build an expansive range of educational apps, and give the developer access to SBX’s reach of 20 million kids, parents and teachers globally. As part of the board, SBX will also provide strategic, commercial and operational support to help scale the business and expand operations internationally.`
Tinybop is a collection of designers, engineers, animators and artists headed by Founder and CEO Raul Gutierrez which as to-date created 13 award-winning apps that bridge engineering, design and education. The studio’s offerings feature vibrant illustrations and animations as well as kid-friendly design and tools for parents to create dynamic digital experiences bolstered by information-rich resources on and off screen.`
The company’s Digital Toys line is a growing series currently comprising five open-ended building apps. The Explorer’s Library (eight titles) offers interactive playscapes designed to teach STEM fundamentals. Tinybop’s apps have won a number of accolades, including 2015 iPad App of the Year (The Robot Factory) and Parents Magazine Best Apps for Families honors (The Human Body).
“We pride ourselves on taking time and care in creating beautifully designed worlds, which resonate with kids, and enable them to explore and unlock their imaginations. We want to reach kids the world over and firmly believe in speaking in a universal language that appeals to adults just as much as children,” said Gutierrez. “This partnership with the SBX team marks a very exciting time for us. Their commitment to providing an unparalleled ecosystem of fun learning tools for every child across the world, regardless of location and age, is what sealed the deal. With their support, and domain and operational expertise, we will be able to experiment even further and unlock more potential for Tinybop.”`
“Raul has created a hub of incredible apps that educate and entertain,” commented SBX Founder and CEO Bhav Singh. “At SBX, our mission is to educate children for the world of tomorrow, which aligns perfectly with Tinybop’s mission to create toys for tomorrow. We hope that together, we can build on Tinybop’s success and most importantly, equip kids and their millennial parents with the skills and tools they need to navigate the world.”`
SBX’s family of award-winning products, platforms and brands for parents and kids includes Hopster, SuperAwesome, Poptropica, TeacherVision, FamilyEducation and more.
