Zurich-based Sparkli, an AI-based learning
platform for children, has raised a $5 million pre-seed round to bring its
multimodal learning engine to families and schools globally.
While children today have broad access to
information, many digital learning tools offer limited ways to explore complex
ideas in engaging and age-appropriate formats. Sparkli aims to address this gap
with a learning model designed for the developing brain.
Using real-time
multimodal AI, the platform enables children to create interactive learning
experiences, turning questions into multidisciplinary, real-world learning
journeys that support skills such as technology, design thinking,
sustainability, financial literacy, and global awareness.
Our goal is to build agency in the next
generation. Sparkli is designed to turn screen time into an environment where
curiosity and independent thinking can develop,
said founder and CEO Lax Poojary.
Sparkli’s approach focuses on three shifts in
how children learn: moving from static curricula to real-time exploration,
replacing passive content with interactive and multimodal experiences, and
prioritising creativity and problem-solving over memorisation. These
experiences are supported by a system that builds an evolving interest and
knowledge profile for each child, enabling more personalised and adaptive
learning over time.
The company was founded by a team with
backgrounds at Google Area 120, Search, and YouTube, alongside engineers and
designers with experience in education and research, including contributors
from ETH. The platform combines generative AI, pedagogy, motion design, and
game mechanics, while incorporating safety measures and age-appropriate design
for younger users.
The funding will support the scaling of
Sparkli’s generative learning engine and preparations for a private beta
launch. The platform is currently being validated through a strategic pilot
with a large international private school group, providing access to a network
of more than 100 schools and over 100,000 students.