Bamboo Learning Raises $1.4 Million Seed Round from Investors Including the Amazon Alexa Fund and Wavemaker Partners

SEATTLE, Dec. 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Bamboo Learning, the leader in voice-powered education, today announced a $1.4 million round of seed financing to expand voice applications and content for education and entertainment. Investors include the Alexa Fund, Wavemaker Partners, Unlock Venture Partners, VoicePunch, and technology industry veterans from Amazon, Apple, Disney, and Microsoft.

The new funding will help Bamboo Learning hire software engineers and content producers to accelerate the development of new applications.

"Bamboo Learning is a true innovator in developing entertaining educational Alexa skills like Bamboo Luminaries, which just came out today," said Paul Bernard, Director of the Amazon Alexa Fund. "They work with speed and precision and, given all they've accomplished already, we're excited about the products Bamboo Learning will continue to develop, build and share with customers."

"Bamboo Learning's education and entertainment products are available on over 100 million Alexa devices worldwide. With Bamboo Math, Bamboo Books, Bamboo Music, and now Bamboo Luminaries, anyone can start learning and playing solely with the power of their voice," said Ian Freed, Co-Founder and CEO of Bamboo Learning. Freed previously oversaw the Kindle and Echo businesses for Amazon.

The company's latest application, Bamboo^® Luminaries, was also announced today. Bamboo Luminaries lets Alexa device owners and their families in more than 80 countries learn about a diverse set of historical figures including writers, scientists, musicians, social justice activists, artists, and more. Bamboo Luminaries is available to Alexa users by saying, "Alexa, open Bamboo Luminaries" to any Alexa device or by visiting the Bamboo Learning web site at www.bamboolearning.com.

In just over a year since its founding in 2018, Bamboo Learning  has already been recognized in the voice technology industry, with Bamboo Math being awarded for Best Multimodal Experience at the 2019 Voice Summit and Bamboo Books listed as number one in Leah Nieman's list of 20 Education Uses for Alexa.

Bamboo Learning currently has five education-focused voice applications (or Alexa skills) for education including Bamboo^® Math, Bamboo^® Books, Bamboo^® Music, Highlights Storybook from Bamboo, and Bamboo Luminaries. All five applications are available free of charge in the Amazon Alexa Skills store at www.bamboolearning.com/bamboo-skills.

Additionally, Bamboo Luminaries, Bamboo Math, and Highlights Storybooks from Bamboo are available in more than 80 countries, including India, the U.K. and most of Europe, as well as Canada and Australia.

About Bamboo Learning
Based in Seattle, Bamboo Learning is the award-winning leader in voice-powered education with a mission to bring engaging, high-quality educational experiences to customers around the world. Bamboo Learning develops skills for Alexa  that enable families, teens, and adults to have fun learning and practicing diverse subjects while listening, viewing images, and using their voice. Bamboo skills, including Bamboo Luminaries, Bamboo Books, Bamboo Math, Bamboo Music, and Highlights Storybooks from Bamboo, offer a range of challenging and engaging exercises to help customers master different levels of subjects. Customers can sign up for a Bamboo Grove account to follow their progress in Bamboo Learning Alexa skills.

Bamboo's co-founders are Ian Freed, CEO, and Irina Fine, COO and SVP of Content. Ian Freed is a thirty-year veteran of the technology industry, including twelve years at Amazon, having served as vice president of Amazon devices, where he led both the Amazon Echo and the Amazon Kindle businesses, and served as technical advisor to Amazon founder and CEO, Jeff Bezos. Irina Fine is a thirty-year veteran of curriculum development and teaching, having worked in public and private sectors of education in New York, Washington DC, London, and Moscow, after receiving her M.Ed. in Curriculum Development and an undergraduate degree in Piano Performance and Music Education. Learn more at: www.bamboolearning.com.

About Wavemaker Partners
Wavemaker Partners is an early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2003 and dual-headquartered in Los Angeles and Singapore. The firm has over $335 million in assets under management, has invested in over 300 portfolio companies, and has consistently delivered top quartile returns to its investors.

About Unlock Venture Partners
Unlock Venture Partners is a venture capital firm focused on early-stage technology investments in Seattle and Los Angeles. Specific areas of focus include digital media, SaaS, fintech and video, with particular emphasis on the utilization of ML, AI and data by potential portfolio companies.

About VoicePunch.VC
VoicePunch provides venture capital and strategic advice to entrepreneurs empowering a voice-centric future. Founded in early 2019, the firm invests in companies creating cornerstone solutions for the migration to a voice-enabled world. VoicePunch is headquartered in Santa Monica, California.

SOURCE Bamboo Learning

Related Links

https://bamboolearning.com/