Now overfunding on Crowdcube, Primo is a smart-toy maker that aims to help young children learn computer coding before they can read. I can’t say that’s the order in which I learned these two skills (probably because the company was then but a spark in its founders’ eyes), but with coding and tech skills growing ever important in the world, this is an interesting concept.
Primo’s first product, the Cubetto Playset, is a wooden robot that introduces coding away from the screen and is used by more than 800 schools and families in over 40 countries, according to Primo’s Crowdcube campaign. A young company itself, Primo has developed a diverse product pipeline, secured a partnership with PCH International and been featured in the MoMA.
As of this writing, Primo has raised £214,650 from 194 investors, and is currently overfunding, having reached its £200,000 goal. With nine days remaining, the largest investment is £33,200 and the equity on offer is 7.91 percent. Also, owing to ongoing discussions with investors, Primo’s pitch has been extended until Jan. 29.
The Camden, London-based company was founded by Filippo Yacob, father, entrepreneur and designer, and Matteo Loglio, born out of a shared passion for technology, design and education. Advisors include Massimo Banzi, co-founder and CEO of Arduino; Benjamin Vedrenne-Cloquet, IBIS Capital partner, Edxus Group co-founder; and Lotta Lindquist-Brosjo, experienced CEO/entrepreneur/senior advisor. Primo’s investors include PCH International, IBIS Capital, MTS Fund and Neon Ventures.
Primo’s stated mission is to inspire children to explore the digital world around them, and their Cubetto playset, a robot and programming board offering tangible coding for ages 3 to 7, looks like an intriguing way to explore the learning process. According to the product description,
Like any other language ABC’s come first. We have created the first ever tangible coding language specifically designed for children in pre-literate years. This block-based language plays like a toy, but forms a flexible and powerful educational experience. To children it’s playtime; for parents and educators it’s a fun and effective way to introduce core programming concepts like debugging, the queue and recursions, all before they can read and write.
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