Ex-Googlers Launch Sparkli AI App to Engage Kids in Learning

Three former Google employees have started Sparkli, a new app that uses AI to help children aged 5 to 12 learn through hands-on adventures. The company, founded in 2025 by Lax Poojary, Lucie Marchand, and Myn Kang, just raised $5 million in early funding from Swiss firm Founderful. They built it because schools often miss teaching kids about money management, starting a business, and design skills. The app turns a child's question into a full interactive trip with pictures, sounds, and games.

Background

Lax Poojary and Myn Kang came up with the idea as parents. Their kids asked lots of questions, like how cars work or why it rains. They tried tools like ChatGPT, but those just gave long text answers that bored the children. Kids want to touch, play, and explore, not read walls of words.

Poojary and Kang had worked together before. They co-founded Touring Bird, a site that helped people find travel deals. Later, they made Shoploop at Google's Area 120 lab. Shoploop let people shop through short videos. Lucie Marchand, now the tech chief at Sparkli, also helped build Shoploop. She and Poojary then worked on shopping features at Google and YouTube.

This background in building apps people love gave them skills to make Sparkli engaging. They hired teachers and people with PhDs in education to make sure the lessons work well for kids. The team saw that most AI tools for learning stay stuck in chat mode. Sparkli changes that by making a playground of visuals, voice talks, and games you can play.

Schools today teach basics like math and reading. But they lag on new skills kids need. Things like handling money, thinking like an entrepreneur, or designing products do not get much time in class. Parents worry their children spend hours on video games or videos with no real learning. Sparkli steps in to swap empty screen time for active discovery.

Key Details

Sparkli works by listening to a child's question or interest. The AI then builds a custom learning path. Say a kid asks about starting a lemonade stand. The app creates steps: plan the stand, figure costs, set prices, and run it like a business. Kids make choices, see results, and learn from mistakes in a safe way.

It covers topics like financial literacy, where children track pretend money and budgets. Entrepreneurship lessons let them build ideas from scratch. Design thinking teaches how to solve problems step by step. All this happens through playable simulations, not lectures.

Right now, Sparkli tests in private schools. Teachers give feedback to improve it. The company plans a beta launch soon, then full access for parents by mid-2026. That means families can download it for home use after school pilots wrap up.

Funding and Backers

The $5 million comes mainly from Founderful, a Swiss group making its first big bet on education tech. Other backers include Arc Investors and a grant from Innosuisse, Switzerland's innovation agency. This money will grow the AI engine and roll out to more schools worldwide.

Lukas Weder, a partner at Founderful and a parent, sees the need clearly.

"Current educational systems often overlook important skills like financial literacy and technological innovation understanding. Sparkli’s immersive approach provides meaningful alternatives to video game consumption while delivering substantive educational value." – Lukas Weder, Founderful

Poojary, the CEO, shares why they started it.

"Kids, by definition, are very curious, and my son would ask me questions about how cars work or how it rains. My approach was to use ChatGPT or Gemini to explain these concepts to a six-year-old, but that is still a wall of text. What kids want is an interactive experience." – Lax Poojary, Sparkli CEO

The team mixes tech pros from Google with education experts. This blend ensures the app is both fun and smart for learning.

What This Means

Sparkli could change how kids use screens. Instead of passive watching, children build their own lessons. This builds skills like asking good questions, making decisions, and trying ideas. Parents get a tool to feed curiosity at home, while schools test fresh ways to teach.

Investors betting on it show faith in AI for education. Founderful's move marks a shift toward tools that teach life skills, not just tests. As more startups chase kid-friendly AI, Sparkli stands out with its focus on play over text.

For schools, pilots mean real data soon. If kids stay hooked and learn more, others may follow. Parents facing the same issues as Poojary and Kang now have an option coming mid-year. The app pushes against old teaching limits, using AI to match a child's pace and spark.

Big tech firms also eye this space. They build AI for kids, but often stick to talk or text. Sparkli's full experiences could set a bar. With funding secure, the team scales up. By mid-2026, many families might use it daily. This fits a larger trend where edtech grows fast, especially after recent AI jumps.

Experts on the team make sure lessons match how kids brains work. Play-based learning sticks better than reading. Simulations let safe trial and error. Over time, this could help a generation handle money, business, and ideas better. Schools might add such tools to fill gaps. For now, Sparkli grows from tests to wide use.