ZDNet reported today that Beiwa Network (www.beva.com), a children’s learning and entertainment site has secured nearly US$10 million in funding from Qiming Ventures. The new investment is planned to be used to form an interactive multimedia platform for children 3-7 years old.
The Beiwa network was originally founded by Beijing Orchid Yushu and went online in July last year and was kick started with a RMB 10 million angel investment. Biewa network has been developing their platform in co-operation with Beijing Normal University’s Faculty of Education. Since inception, the network has launched mobile applications and games.
Children’s education will always be an attractive market, especially in China where parents pour a lot of attention, resources and money into their little one’s. Another Beijing start-up looking to capture a part of the kids education market, is SmarTots, a performance tracking and activity recommendation tool, built for iOS devices.
The main character is a cute Beaver character, aptly named Beiwa Beiwa. His other little fury friends include Bella and Tony Toot. Beiwa songs have struck a chord with Chinese children already, with more than 10 million plays online each month.
Like the path of Angry Birds, which is moving from a mobile game to soft plush toys and movies, Beiwa plans to grow brand presence by increasing content production, games and physical merchandise.
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