As Co-Founder and CEO of Primo Toys, I’d like to use the occasion of our Kickstarter Gold project to introduce our little company to you. I’d love to tell you a bit about our story, mission, ambitions and ideas on early learning and play.
In 2013, my team and I set out on a journey to create a programming language for children aged 3 and up. Something tangible and playful that worked without a screen or device. We think coding is a new skill, as important as reading, or basic numeracy, but it should start young, and it should be fun. Over the coming weeks, I’m going to share the story of how Cubetto came to be, and boldly invite you to write the next chapter of this adventure with us.
From humble garage beginnings, to the most crowdfunded ed-tech invention in Kickstarter history, there’s a lot to tell!
What made me start Primo Toys in early 2013 was news I’d soon become a father. It was then I decided that I’d make educational toys for a living. I dreamt of a business that would produce amazing, quality toys, that could introduce children to relevant STEM skills for the digital world we live in. I wanted our toys to be open-ended, for girls as well as boys, culture-neutral, and for anyone who wanted to play, anywhere in the world.
In 2016, our second Kickstarter campaign raised $1.6 million from backers in 96 countries. From TIME, to Tech Crunch, the press went to town. Back then, though, things were different.
I wanted to create the best toy company in the world, but I had a problem… or several.
- I was alone,
- I had no money, and
- I’d never made a toy before.
A few weeks went by as I pondered over these insurmountable barriers, until I gave up all hope of ever following through with yet another lofty dream.
Then, one fateful evening, browsing the web for inspiration, I randomly reconnected with a childhood friend I hadn’t spoken to in years, Matteo Loglio. In the years apart, Matteo had become an accomplished designer and technologist, and amongst his impressive portfolio of products were… TOYS!
There it was. I wanted to build an educational toy business, and Matteo loved designing educational toys. I was no longer one, and two became a company.
Next week, I’ll tell you about how we transformed the concept for a tangible, child-centered programming language into the beloved, award-winning Cubetto you see today.
