ThinkPlayful to partner with Highlights
St. Louis-based edtech startup won an NSF Technology Enhancement for Commercial Partnerships (TECP) Award
Saint Louis, August 26, 2024 —
ThinkPlayful™, a St. Louis-based educational technology startup, will develop a commercial partnership with Highlights for Children through the assistance of another National Science Foundation (NSF) award.
ThinkPlayful™ previously received a $1M Phase II NSF Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant in January 2022 to develop the ThinkPlayful™ app, an early math and problem-solving digital app for families with children ages 3 to 8.
EDUCATORS: For more information about how to bring the ThinkPlayful™ app to the families in your early education program, visit www.thinkplayful.com/pilot and learn more about our upcoming research study!
Now in the app’s pilot phase, the company received the almost $200,000 Technology Enhancement for Commercial Partnerships (TECP) supplement award to develop technology required to establish a viable commercial partnership.
“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with Highlights,” Co-founder Tyler Schwartz said. “I, of course, knew of and loved Highlights magazine when I was young. And I remember they were everywhere … and they still are everywhere, doctor’s offices, schools, libraries, everywhere. We look forward to working with and learning from Highlights in order to benefit families all over!”
Highlights was founded in 1946 and its products are now sold in more than 60 countries and more than 17,000 stores worldwide.
Highlights has recently extended its reach to early childhood classrooms with an Early Learning curriculum, Preschool with a Purpose.
“That’s where our TECP development will begin,” Founder Bettie Schwartz said. “ThinkPlayful’s™ cloud-connected mobile application for families of preschool-age children is well-aligned with Highlight’s new program as it extends classroom learning to the home. Putting the two together will be greater than the sum of the parts!”
ThinkPlayful’s mission is to increase parent engagement and encourage active participation in children’s education. The project emphasizes the importance of age-appropriate content, the power of technology and “guided play” experiences, the amplifying effects of family engagement, and the critical role partnerships play in moving the needle for children in all communities.
In the next 9 months, ThinkPlayful will pursue equity investment from additional funders. The NSF will match 50% of outside investment up to $1 million in non-dilutive funds.
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About the National Science Foundation's Small Business Programs
Small businesses with innovative science and technology solutions, and commercial potential are encouraged to apply to the NSF SBIR/STTR program, also known as America’s Seed Fund powered by NSF. Once a small business is awarded a Phase I SBIR/STTR grant (up to $256,000), it becomes eligible to apply for a Phase II (up to $1,000,000). To learn more about America’s Seed Fund powered by NSF, visit: https://seedfund.nsf.gov/
America’s Seed Fund powered by NSF awards $200 million annually to startups and small businesses, transforming scientific discovery into products and services with commercial and societal impact. Startups working across almost all areas of science and technology can receive up to $2 million in funding to support research and development (R&D), helping de-risk technology for commercial success. America’s Seed Fund is congressionally mandated through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The NSF is an independent federal agency with a budget of about $8.5 billion that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering.
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Learn more about the ThinkPlayful team.
