This Chinese-Israeli start-up wants to change the way kids learn to code
LeapLearner lures kids to the joys of coding with video games
LeapLearner, a Shanghai-based education start-up, aims to teach children as young as five years old how to code and then some.
The start-up’s main service might be a platform that educates children on programming, but its ultimate goal is to impart skills needed in the future to children, LeapLearner’s co-founder and CEO Ami Dror told CNBC in an exclusive interview.
“Coding is just a tool,” Dror said, adding that he sees the learning process of coding as instrumental to teaching children how to innovate and problem-solve.
Dror, a fellow at the Aspen Institute-linked Aspen Global Leadership Network, taught himself to code as a child. The entrepreneur was head of security for an Israeli prime minister and dabbled in the consumer 3D space in the past. Also part of LeapLeaner’s founding team are Aaron Tian, a popular mathematics tutor in China, and Leo Zhao.
There are around 50 people working at LeapLearner, Dror told CNBC. Half of that team have backgrounds in gaming and focus on the technological aspects of the start-up, while another team focuses on the educational side of the business.
The edutainment start-up also counts several illustrious names among its backers. Dror said that Honeywell CEO and President of High Growth Regions Shane Tedjarati and former Alibaba CTO John Wu are among early stage investors in the company.