SUMDOG, the Scottish company that has developed an online games-based learning system aimed at improving skills and attainment in maths and literacy, has raised £1.4 million to fund expansion in the UK and US.
Sumdog said its learning system had already “actively engaged a total of three million children in the UK and the US to improve their attainment in maths and English learning”. It aims to have helped 15 million children across the UK and US by 2022, as it uses the new funding to expand.
The firm noted its eponymous Sumdog offering was already used regularly across large numbers of UK primary and US elementary schools.
The £1.4m of funding has come from Nesta Impact Investments and the taxpayer-backed Scottish Investment Bank. Nesta Impact Investments is a £17.6m fund supported by social investor Big Society Capital, philanthropic investment firm Omidyar Network, and innovation foundation Nesta.
Sumdog flagged its plans to create jobs on the back of the fundraising. It did not put a number on the job creation but a spokesman said it would be “in the tens rather than the hundreds”.
The firm said it would create “many” new posts at its Edinburgh headquarters. It added that it would also bolster its US presence with senior appointments at its New York office.
Andrew Hall, chief executive of Sumdog, said: “Our core mission is to close the educational attainment gap by helping all children reach their full potential.
“By capturing children’s imagination, Sumdog wants to become a world leader in online learning, starting with maths and English but ultimately covering a much broader range of subjects.”
Ishaan Chilkoti, at Nesta Impact Investments, said: “This investment in Sumdog aligns with Nesta Impact Investments’ strategy to invest in innovative approaches and technologies to improve access to high-quality education and employment for all.
“We believe Sumdog has developed a proven platform for online learning. They have shown a clear commitment to achieving social impact and are already reaching large numbers of children from disadvantaged backgrounds, both here in the UK and in the US.”
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