Unit 8, Rooks Farm The Street Rotherwick RG27 9BG United Kingdom
1 January 2015
Information Technology
Business
The company has developed an app to teach children about the risks of their online activities through playing a typical computer game. Many teachers and parents give children long talks about the dangers online, but very often children don't take much notice of adults talking to them about their social media activities etc. On the other hand in a game like Gooseberry Planet children empathise with the characters and realise the dangers they are exposed to. Gooseberry Planet was set up by Stella James, a mother of two children with a career in sales, who was not convinced that the existing approaches to teaching internet safety were very effective.
The Business
The existing methods of teaching children about the dangers online are not very effective, as witnessed by the daily press reports of children succumbing to cyberbullying, sexual grooming and radicalisation.According to The Social Age Study by Knowthenet.org.uk, approximately 59% of children have already used a social network by the time they are 10, despite the official minimum age for having an account with all the major social media sites being 13.
No
I have already raised £150k in SEIS money
Yes
£GBP 250,000.00
£GBP 900,000.00
£GBP 0.00
£GBP 65,000.00
£GBP 12,000.00
September 2016
Yes
Date
Amount
Pre-Money Valuation
Source
30 Sep 2015
£GBP 150,000.00
£GBP 500,000.00
View from New York city
John Eade
Information Technology
Gooseberry Planet has targeted an emerging segment of a vast market: the safety niche of online education. As schools increasingly integrate the Internet into the curriculum, the risks of cyber bullying rise -- and demand grows for a product like Gooseberry Planet's.
The management team is led by the founder, who has experience in sales, media and selling. The company needs to make sure its software developers are abreast of content trends in this controversial segment. The company could benefit from someone who has deep contacts/presence/reputation in the education field.
The company's primary competitive advantage will ultimately be the quantity of its content. As of now, GP has a bit of a first-mover advantage and management is wisely establishing the company as a thought leader in the space. Cyber bullying is an extremely sensitive topic. If the company can become a voice of reason and authority, the pace of adoption can accelerate quickly.
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