Tinkergarten, a Northampton, MA-based provider of outdoor early childhood education, raised a $5.4m in Series A round of financing.
The round was led by Owl Ventures, with participation from existing investors Omidyar Network and Reach Capital. In conjunction with the funding, Amit Patel, partner at Owl Ventures, joined Tinkergarten’s board.
The company, which has raised $8.3m in total funding, plans to use the funds to invest in its supporting technology, further enhancing the learning experiences of young children and their parents, and expand its business reach.
Led by Brian Fitzgerald, co-founder and CEO, Tinkergarten has developed a technology platform to find, vet, train, and support leaders who run play-based outdoor learning classes. The company’s expert-designed curriculum enables kids ages 1-8 years old to develop, grow and prepare, while enjoying engaging experiences in their local green space. Tinkergarten classes are led by trained, certified leaders, who are often parents. Since 2016, the company has experienced growth expanding from 100 leaders in 14 states to over 700 leaders in 48 US states.
Early backers included Brooklyn Bridge Ventures, Blue {Seed} Collective, City Light Capital, Plum Alley, 500 Startups, Outbound Ventures, Structure Capital, Vista Venture Partners as well as John Katzman (Princeton Review, 2U, Noodle), Don Katz (Audible), Matt Glickman (BabyCenter), and Albert Lee (MyFitnessPal), among others.
FinSMEs
08/08/2017