Pok Pok is expanding its horizons. It is now bringing its creative digital toys for Android users. It is on the verge of opening a world of imaginative play for a broader audience. Until now it has captivated the iOS community.
The journey of the app maker started within the creative walls of Snowman, which is the same studio that created popular games like Alto’s Adventure. Snowman employees Mathijs Demaeght and Esther Huybreghts sought an engaging and simple app for their young son then. They couldn’t find anything suitable and hence decided to create own. Hence, Pok Pok Playroom app was created.
Pok Pok Playroom offers 17 play experiences and these are called “digital toys.” They are like drawing tools, interactive shapes and dress-up activities. The toys respond to touches and hence encourage kids to explore and create.
Pok Pok was launch in May 2021 and since then has grown rapidly. It now has more than a million downloads and a robust subscriber base as well. The success was in the aftermath of a $3 million seed round and a $6 million Series A funding. The latest round was led by Adjacent’s Nico Wittenborn and it will help in the expansion to Android version as well as development of new STEM-based activities.
However, one challenge faced during the funding rounds was lack of female investors at the Series A stage even though it is a women-led company and creates products for families. The team struggled to find female venture capitalists and this led to a second close of funding round. It was basically aimed to bring women onto the cap table.
The effort was fulfilled by Julie McGill, who is fractional CFO of the company. She started Julie Change Fund and invested in Pok Pok. This reflects commitment to break down barriers for women in the venture capital space.
