SplashLearn (operated by StudyPad, Inc.) is a game-based learning platform for children in preschool through Grade 5, focused on math and reading. Founded in 2010 by four friends who saw the iPad as a natural learning device for kids, it now serves more than 40 million learners across 150+ countries and is used by hundreds of thousands of teachers and schools. The platform pairs an adaptive, curriculum-aligned library of 6,500+ games and activities with live small-group classes, aiming to turn children into confident, self-motivated learners.
Jim Marggraff is a serial inventor and entrepreneur with 70+ patents whose products have touched over 100 million children and adults worldwide. He co-invented the LeapFrog LeapPad - the #1 US toy two years running that generated $1B+ in sales - then built Livescribe (the world's first smart pen) and Eyefluence (acquired by Google in 2016 for eye-tracking AR/VR). Today he's back doing what he's always done: tackling childhood literacy. His Oakland startup Kibeam Learning has created a screen-free, AI-powered wand that brings physical books to life using sound, light, and motion - sending kids to 28 minutes of reading engagement versus the usual 5-7.
Ello is an AI reading coach for children in kindergarten through third grade. Through its 'Read with Ello' app, a friendly turquoise elephant listens to kids read aloud, catches mispronounced or skipped words, and offers gentle, phonics-based coaching in real time. Built on proprietary child speech-recognition technology and a library of hundreds of decodable books, Ello aims to give every child the patient, one-on-one reading tutor that has historically been available only to families who can afford it.