MEL Science, an EdTech platform offering science education to children, has raised £10.5 million in a Series B funding round, the company has announced recently.
The London-based startup secured the fund from a group of international investors including Mubadala Investment Company, Channel 4 Ventures, and other entities from Europe and China.
Founded in 2015, MEL Science aims to bring science to life through educational kits, combining hands-on experiments with interactive VR simulations and live lessons. Its award-winning products are designed for children aged 5 – 14, and can be used either as an at-home teaching aid or by schools.
MEL Science claims its VR technology has been found to improve both test-scores and student engagement levels in a study by the New Jersey Institute of Technology. The company’s products as a whole have won the BETT “Innovator of the Year 2020” award, EdTech Digest’s Cool Tool Award for “Best VR/AR Solution” (part of its EdTech Awards, 2020), and, most recently, the VR Award’s 2020 Education and Training award.
Speaking about the company, Vassili Philippov, Founder and CEO of MEL Science, said in a statement,
“Our mission is to encourage and educate a new generation of scientists. We have founded that a subscription model lends itself perfectly to this. As demand for home education resources continues to increase, it provides a way to help parents fill the role of teachers during periods of classroom closures, and continually fuel their kids’ curiosity for, and interest in, subjects that are often difficult to grasp.”
“We have found investors that are as passionate about education as we are – who believe we have created a fantastic product that is both entertaining and educational. They have a wealth of experience and connections which, combined with their financial stimulus, will help MEL Science to realize its expansion and development ambitions.”
The latest funding will enable MEL Science to develop its product offering and expand into new territories. In addition, it will support the increase in enquires it has seen in 2020, according to a statement.
Since its inception, MEL Science has increased its range of products – adding a MEL Physics kit and a MEL Kids STEM kit, specially designed for children aged 5 – 10, to its original MEL Chemistry offering. MEL Chemistry is one of the first products launched by the company. It is a subscription service that offers a monthly delivery of safe chemistry experiments for kids. The subscription is for those who want their child to get a touch on real science and for homeschoolers who don’t get access to school labs.
