Funding helps firm build digital educational tool
Six-figure funding from Greater Manchester Export Fund has been agreed to enable Bolton-based Cyber Coach to build a new educational resource – branded Emile – with Manchester Metropolitan University.
GMEF provides access to funding and international trade support for both new and existing exporters to secure and grow export contracts all over the world.
Educational technology business Cyber Coach designs and sells online interactive and fitness software products and has already sold its product to more than 15% of primary schools in the UK and Ireland.
The GMEF investment – facilitated by the Co Angel team at Business Finance Solutions – will enable product development and technical support to advance the company’s ambitious export strategy which extends to over 120 countries.
Already employing 14 people, the investment will help Cyber Coach to create 30 full-time positions in Greater Manchester by 2019.
Having received backing from Innovate UK and Creative England, Cyber Coach developed its latest product Emile in partnership with MMU, fusing maths and language skills in the first of a suite of digital learning products.
Emile will be launched in the UK by the pro-vice chancellor Professor Richard Greene today (September 28) at MMU and in South America on October 18 at BETT Latin America in Mexico City.
Cyber Coach founder Glen Jones said: “The use of technology to support learners is really in its infancy and it’s thanks to funds like the GMEF and the support that we received from the Co team that we are able to develop products that are changing how schools think about and adopt digital platforms.
“Starting with Emile, our education products have the potential to completely change the way that children think and have been proven to accelerate learning.
“Based on a cutting edge pedagogical approach that has been endorsed by the EU Commission, they feature hundreds of real games that engage and stimulate our young audience and will make an enormous difference to millions of children during their vital formative years.”
Darren Gowling, senior investment director at Co Angel, said: “Cyber Coach’s innovative learning model and the speed with which their software is being embraced by schools marks them out as a technology business to watch, both in the UK and globally.
“Glen and his team are a great example of just how well the business support landscape in GM supports our home-grown businesses, with world class R&D facilities and partners like MMU working alongside funding that can be drawn down quickly to drive development and vital investment.”
The GM Export Fund was open from November, 2015 to May, 2017 to small or medium enterprises located in Greater Manchester. BFS will continue to support any business requiring export finance as the existing Export Fund is a revolving fund to provide support to Greater Manchester businesses over the next 10 years.
