Gdańsk-based RoboCamp, a startup that creates online school textbooks for robotics and programming, has received €467k in investment from the early-stage Polish venture capital fund Alfabeat. In 2016, RoboCamp was named the best European startup in the area of creativity in the Startup Europe Awards competition by the European Commission.
Interest in programming has grown rapidly in Poland, and the aim of RoboCamp is to arouse interest in programming among children and youth.
RoboCamp enables teachers – without any specialist preparation – to teach robotics and programming. The startup’s textbooks are based on the cutting-edge pedagogical techniques, with a focus on primary and secondary schools. RoboCamp’s services are also used by museums and libraries, alongside other companies working in the educational sector. The startup’s courses are already used by 50k students per year.
RoboCamp intends to use the funds to develop an e-learning platform for mobile devices,
implement new functionalities, grow its portfolio of courses, and
expand into German, French and Spanish foriegn markets.
RoboCamp founder Wojciech Syrocki said: “With the funds obtained from Alfabeat, RoboCamp plans to expand its e-learning platform for mobile devices, create a simple graphic language for its e-learning platforml and implement new functionalities to personalise teaching, as well as expand to foreign markets – especially in Germany, France and Spain.
“We have partnered with Alfabeat because the fund is focused on expanding to foreign markets. We have had conversations with a dozen funds from Poland and abroad, but we wanted to find one that shared our ambitions and, at the same time, understood our product and business model well, and not only wanted to provide financing, but also substantial support.”
2018 was a strong year for Alfabeat. Together with WeWork, the fund invested in British startup Andiamo, which produces orthoses for children, as well as the Intiaro project, which has created an AR-based interior design app.
Marek Rybacki, managing partner at Alfabeat, said: “2018 was an exceptional success for Alfabeat. Our goal is to help RoboCamp develop into a strong global player.”
