Vän Robotics Closes Seed From SC Launch, Social Starts For ABii, A Friendly Robot Tutor
Summary
The desktop-sized ABii pairs with any wifi-enabled device (phones, tablets, laptops) to run different programs that teach children concepts like fractions, currency conversion and more. “We also realized there was nothing in the market like this for a wide variety of kids that was really accessible.” Boccanfuso left Yale to pursue the first iteration of her startup, moving back to her home state of South Carolina. After completing the accelerator in 2018, Vän released an updated beta version of ABii, which is now helping kids in about a dozen schools. “It’s really involved in the entire learning process as a tutor.” Currently, ABii teaches all math concepts in the core curriculum for third, fourth, and fifth grade. Vän also recently received an NIH grant that will be used for hiring, taking the current team of 10 up to about 15 by end of year.