Maka Kids is redefining the children’s show season with an ad program that is about lifestyle, not dating

In a media landscape dominated by Baby Shark and Skibidi Toilet, the first step is to rethink children’s media by focusing on quality of life, not screen time.

Children’s Eyes is developing a promotional program for children between the ages of zero and six with a focus on development. The startup has now raised $3 million in pre-seed funding to expand its platform, and is currently accepting prospective applicants.

Unlike traditional advertising platforms, Maka Kids has no algorithms, ads, or gameplay. Instead, it is designed to provide intuitive information that supports learning, creativity, and emotional growth.

Maka Kids was founded by former founders Isabel Sheinman and Tanyella Leta Nabua nonprofit enterprise that brought children’s books to more than 15 million children in 26 countries.

Sheinman and Leta were introduced over dinner in 2013 through a mutual friend and immediately hit it off, the pair told TechCrunch in an email. They said they originally came from families of teachers and businessmen, which inspired Nabu and later inspired their interest in Maka Kids.

He started dreaming up the idea of ​​Maka Kids after talking with friends, family, and customers at Nabu. He heard from parents who were very concerned about the effects of screen time on their children. In addition to these challenges, the pair interviewed hundreds of people, which eventually led to their solution: a children’s advertising program with a healthy lifestyle at its core.

“We were seeing parents being overwhelmed by trying to make decisions about what was safe, what was good, and understanding why their child was melting down at every exposure,” Sheinman said. At the same time, we watched the children grow, run, and be guided according to his schedule.

All content on Maka Kids is analyzed using the Maka Imprint, the inventor’s still-existing development protocol developed over two years of R&D in collaboration with researchers at the Yale Child Study Center. The system ranks seven stages of early childhood development with more than 650 developmental indicators, including language, technology, cognitive skills, and cognitive development.

Maka Kids licenses directly from IP owners and individual producers. The startup also partners directly with studios and animation studios to create original content.

Every show on the platform goes through an analysis of movement, stimulation levels, color contrast, and story style. His guide features slow-paced, refreshing content with real-life stories and stories from around the world.

The pair believe that an important factor that is often missing from the discussion of video time for children is how much the right content, delivered at the right time, can help a young child.

“Stories can help the development of language, control emotions, interest, and give children a sense of the world,” said Leta. “High-quality children’s media is one of the most powerful parenting tools families have, when designed with this in mind.” Most of the platforms that children watch today are designed to be viewed by adults, which children experience mercilessly.

When parents create their child’s profile, they can choose options that focus on different topics, such as kindness, STEM, emotional development, or travel, and set the length of their preferred section. From there, Maka Kids offers curated, developmentally tested content tailored to the chosen content.

The episode ends naturally, with slow motion cues from the characters to help children transition quietly from exposure time without meltdowns.

Maka Kids is running a private beta on iOS this summer and plans to launch publicly this fall on iPhone and iPad, with support for AirPlay. Maka Kids says it already has thousands of families on its waiting list.

As for the basic business model, the program will work on a subscription basis, at a price of $11.99 per month, with an annual discount option.

In terms of new funding, the founders plan to use it to expand their list of featured shows. The round was led by Michigan Rise, with participation from Union Heritage Ventures, Flybridge, Also Capital, Detroit Venture Partners, Song United, Invest Detroit, Ann Arbor Spark Capital, 84I90, Georgetown Gain, and Segal Ventures, as well as angel investors.

“Long term, our vision is to be trusted in every digital experience kids have,” Sheinman said. “Incorporated into games, edtech products, and shows, Maka Imprint can help developers align content that’s best for kids and families. The kids’ community deserves a viable business, and that’s what we’re building.”