Originally posted by MET student Marc Tavares on 22/05/2019
Tech Will Save Us is a venture founded by Daniel Hirschmann and Bethany Koby that develops “toys to help kids learn about the world through technology and play” and encourages kids as creators, not just consumers and users of technology. The Dough Universe project introduces children to STEAM principles and helps them learn scientific concepts through electro playdough. The dough universe consists of three products: electro-dough, a controller, and an app. According to the venture, it’s important to introduce kids to STEAM concepts early to prepare them for jobs that don’t yet exist or haven’t been created yet, but that 65% of them will be in when they join the workforce. The pitch video is embedded below, but can also be viewed on the Dough Universe Kickstarter page, which offers other valuable information about the project.
As an investor I would definitely invest into the dough universe. This company has taken a “toy” that was very popular in many of our childhoods and made it applicable to today’s technology literate children. There is a sense of nostalgia, yet advanced. This seems to be a theme, as I looked more into it and they are now looking a adding a building blocks, connecting to those LEGO children. My one concern is when it is mentioned for 4-6 year olds, that is a small age group and for those children who may be older, but enjoy something like this, if they hear it is for 4-6, they may be quite put off by it and so may their parents. I would suggest that there are aspects that could appeal to older customers and so I think they should try not to limit themselves.
I would NOT invest in this venture. Simply put, I don’t think it is sustainable / has adequate longevity. When I played with play dough as a child, it almost immediately got dirty, mixed up, and thrown away. Doing a bit of reading, it seems that typical play doughs (so perhaps this ‘electro-dough’) can be revived with water, but they can never be cleaned or ‘un-mixed’ which to me means that after a short while, this venture is just a bunch of electrical devices which you need to buy more dough for, easily forgotten. My investment could be swayed by understanding more about replacement or versatility of this material, but on its own I would not be interested in Dough Universe. The strongest aspect of this venture is its app integration, which offers the opportunity to structure the learning as well as outline principles that children are actively demonstrating (mentioned in the video, but I’d want to know when using the product as well!) Since Tech Will Save US is a larger group issuing multiple ventures like this one, I would consider investing if this product came in more of a kit along with other toys, especially those that are not as “organic” such as building blocks. Given the organizations structure, I think this could be accomplished for a more robust venture.