Edtech startup Polymath has raised $1 million in pre-seed funding to further develop its innovative educational platform that combines gamified mechanics with adaptive math lessons to make learning more enjoyable for kids. The funding round was co-led by Blackbird Ventures and GD1, with notable angel investor Liam Don, Chief Technology Officer of ClassDojo, participating in the round.

Polymath's platform is designed to tackle the challenge of capturing the attention of young children, who are increasingly drawn to popular gaming platforms like Roblox and Minecraft, as well as YouTube. By incorporating elements of these popular games, Polymath aims to make math learning more engaging and fun. The platform allows children to explore a virtual island, customize avatars, build using bricks and other materials, and interact with villagers, all while completing math-related questions to progress in the game.

The startup's founders, Sophie Silver and Christian Silver, drew inspiration from their own experiences. Sophie, a co-founder and CEO, studied human learning, memory, and developmental psychology at University College London (UCL) and noticed a gap in children's mathematical abilities while working as a part-time nanny. She began inventing games to make math lessons more enjoyable, realizing that traditional teaching methods were not aligned with how the brain works.

Polymath's platform uses an adaptive algorithm to personalize learning for each child, analyzing their answers to identify knowledge gaps and optimize the timing of new information. The platform also offers learning opportunities within the virtual world, such as measuring dimensions and calculating resources needed to build a house. Additionally, the platform includes critical thinking moments, like recognizing incorrect prices in a virtual shop.

The platform offers both at-home and classroom versions. The classroom version allows teachers to monitor students in real-time, while the at-home version enables parents to manage their child's experience and receive weekly email reports about their child's progress. A parent app, Polymath Relate, provides detailed answers to every question their child has answered.

Polymath launched in January 2023 through the Startmate accelerator in New Zealand and has already garnered thousands of users across Arizona, California, Florida, Texas, and Virginia, as well as Australia, New Zealand, and the UK. The startup plans to expand its curriculum to offer more advanced learning opportunities and introduce collaborative play, where kids can work together on problems. Additionally, Polymath plans to introduce purchasable avatar assets as a revenue stream in the future.

With its innovative approach to math learning, Polymath is poised to make a significant impact in the edtech industry. The startup's focus on gamification and personalization has the potential to improve math literacy and engagement among young children, ultimately shaping the future of education.