Yoto, creator of the Yoto Participant and Yoto Mini for kids, has secured an extra $22 million in funding to assist its world progress technique.
The most recent funding was led by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, with participation from DNS Capital, in addition to Yoto’s current shareholders, Acton Capital and Burda Principal Investments, in line with a press launch final week (June 21).
The Telegraph studies, citing a Yoto spokesman, that Mark Zuckerberg and his spouse Priscilla Chan’s philanthropic funding fund injected round $11 million of the recent funding that values Yoto at $182 million.
Chan Zuckerberg Ventures quietly invested in Yoto late final 12 months, in line with the Telegraph, taking a roughly 10% stake. Vivian Wu, the fund’s managing associate, has reportedly joined Yoto’s board.
Ben Drury and Filip Denker based Yoto in 2017 as a tool that lets youngsters entry music and audio with out being uncovered to ads, unsuitable content material or racking up display screen time.
The Yoto Participant is a small speaker that makes use of bodily playing cards referred to as Yoto Playing cards, every containing particular content material like a storybook, an album, or a set of songs. By inserting a card into the Yoto Participant, the gadget performs the corresponding audio content material.
The funding closed in October 2023 after a profitable 12 months for Yoto. The corporate launched the third technology Yoto Participant in summer season 2023 and has since achieved speedy progress.
Yoto says the newest funding will assist its continued growth into new world markets, steady product enhancements, and the extension of its content material library and Yoto Originals publishing arm.
Vivian Wu, Managing Accomplice of Ventures at Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, stated: “We’re excited to assist the workforce at Yoto and their progressive merchandise to assist younger kids develop their curiosity, creativity, and listening expertise.”
“This funding will assist improve entry to those beloved merchandise to extra faculties, permit the workforce to conduct extra analysis, and develop their instructional content material library.”
Vivian Wu, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
“This funding will assist improve entry to those beloved merchandise to extra faculties, permit the workforce to conduct extra analysis, and develop their instructional content material library.”
Because the second-generation Yoto Participant’s launch in 2020 by way of Kickstarter, the app has gained recognition within the UK, France, and North America. The corporate boasts partnerships and content material offers with main names like Disney, Penguin Random Home, Common Music Group, and Warner Music Group.
“This new funding is not going to solely assist additional the growth of our best-in-class workforce that’s on the forefront of driving progress throughout markets and merchandise, but in addition present the assets to develop our trusted ecosystem that brings worth to so many households across the globe.”
Ben Drury, Yoto
Yoto’s rising library gives over 1,200 audio experiences appropriate for kids from delivery to 12 years previous. This consists of classics like C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia and Roald Dahl tales, alongside content material from fashionable authors and characters like Peppa Pig, PAW Patrol, Daniel Tiger and Sesame Avenue.
Yoto has lately launched basic music albums in Yoto card format, together with Queen: Biggest Hits Quantity 1 and The Beatles Purple and Blue albums.
Ben Drury, CEO and co-founder of Yoto, stated: “At Yoto, we have now a vibrant tradition of innovation. This new funding is not going to solely assist additional the growth of our best-in-class workforce that’s on the forefront of driving progress throughout markets and merchandise, but in addition present the assets to develop our trusted ecosystem that brings worth to so many households across the globe.”
“Whereas we give attention to adapting, evolving and increasing our choices, our dedication to fostering independence and inspiration for kids by way of listening, studying and play stays on the coronary heart of all we do and is core to persevering with our trajectory of sustainable progress.”
Music Enterprise Worldwide
