Sandbox & Co, a London-based millennial learning company that provides digital learning products and services, has recently announced that it has acquired PlayKids, a leading digital education platform in Brazil.
PlayKids provides video content, books, and online learning through two core brands: the PlayKids app – a video-on-demand platform aimed at children aged 2 to 6; and Leiturinha – one of the largest kids’ book subscription services in Brazil. Together, the two brands have an audience of over 4 million monthly users, catering to more than 190k families in countries like Argentina, Brazil, Australia, Canada, China, France, Mexico, and the United States, having a reach of more than 130 countries.
Commenting on the acquisition, Bhav Singh, Founder & CEO of Sandbox, said in a statement,
“We have been big fans of PlayKids and Leiturinha and are delighted to welcome them to the Sandbox family as a perfect complement to our existing suite of products. I’m excited to have Guilherme Martins, CEO of PlayKids, on board to lead the rollout of our wider portfolio into LatAm and am equally thrilled that Movile is joining us as shareholders as we continue to build towards an industrial-scale enterprise focused on ‘super serving’ millennial and Gen Z families.”
As a result of the acquisition, PlayKids’ majority owner, Movile, a long-term investor in Latin American tech companies, will become a minority investor in Sandbox. The Prosus-backed business has a significant presence in Brazil’s tech and investment ecosystem and has led multiple investment rounds for industry leaders such as iFood, Sinch and Zoop.
Guilherme Martins, CEO of PlayKids and Founder of Leiturinha, said,
“Last year, following the pandemic’s impact, there was a clear uptake in digital acceleration and a need to quickly reinvent how kids are educated and entertained during the lockdowns. I see that trend continuing and am excited to work with Bhav and the other Sandboxers to extend our digital offerings and introduce Sandbox online learning products to the Latin American market.”
Silvia Motta, Strategy and M&A Director at Movile, added,
“Movile’s goal is to build leading companies that can transform the world, help them solve challenges, and accelerate their growth. We have built PlayKids from an app serving a few thousand learners to a globally recognized children’s education platform in the last few years. With the great talent, know-how and entrepreneurial grit that Sandbox offers, the combination of the two businesses will deliver engaging educational experiences and improve learning around the world. We look forward to continuing on this journey with Sandbox.”
Having joined Sandbox, PlayKids and its Leiturinha children’s book club will become part of a portfolio of 17 brands that reach over 60 million kids, families, and teachers around the world every month. Sandbox’s brands include Code Kingdoms, which provides online coding courses for kids, Hopster, a preschool edutainment platform, and recently acquired Spanish companies Edujoy and Tellmewow.
