Cristina Luminea, founder and CEO of ThoughtBox
ThoughtBox, the Irish-based start-up looking to change how kids learn about maths and science by using interactive games, has seen its first app reach the top of the charts both at home and abroad.
A previous tech start-up of the week on Siliconrepublic.com, educational software provider ThoughtBox has reported more than 5,500 downloads of its first app, Numerosity – more than 2,000 of which were achieved within the first week of its release.
Released on 6 November, the free iPad app, which aims to teach children aged eight to 10 about maths, was ranked the No 1 educational game for the iPad on the Irish App Store within two days. Now, it’s still sitting comfortably among the top 20 iPad apps in the Education category.
The game is available in six languages and is seeing success outside of Ireland, too, reaching the top spot for educational games in the Spanish App Store and second place in Brazil and Chile.
.jpg "Numerosity iPad app")
The purpose of Numerosity is to use gaming principles to engage children and encourage them to discover the rules of maths. This concept of ‘gameful learning’ allows children to progress at their own pace while learning new information and rules.
“It is important for children to understand the rules of maths and science by themselves; through Numerosity we try to make this applicable,” said Cristina Luminea, founder and CEO of ThoughtBox.
“Two years ago, I picked up an iPad and through the iPad I realised how powerful it is to touch and manipulate objects and numbers while observing what happens and learning from the feedback,” Luminea explained. “I was inspired and decided to start a new business building educational software and ThoughtBox was the outcome.”
ThoughtBox took part in the NDRC Launchpad programme and was awarded a feasibility study grant from Enterprise Ireland. It also won this year’s Blueface Business Elevator competition in July, receiving €60,000-worth of business services for the honour.
