Berlin, 13.09.2023 – Berlin-based kids coaching provider cleverly has successfully closed its extended seed funding round. In this process Rubio Impact Ventures from the Netherlands joined the group of investors. The venture capital fund invests specifically in value-creating startups across Europe. German venture capital investor Capnamic is once again among the circle of investors. It is completed by emma Ventures, the Venture Capital arm of Swiss family office White Alps Invest as well as renowned business angels such as Dr. Florian Langenscheidt, Verena Pausder and the founders of Flixbus, some of whom have been supporting cleverly since the pre-seed round.
School and exam anxiety, learning motivation, self-confidence – these are issues that many families are struggling with. The current multi-crises form a background noise on which individual burdens such as bullying - which 23 percent of German children complain about, according to the latest PISA study - still add on.
cleverly focuses on 1-to-1 online sessions in which children and young people work with trained educators who cleverly calls mentors. In learning tracks developed by cleverly, the students are supported in interdisciplinary topics such as self-confidence, concentration problems or learning motivation. In addition, the mentors provide ongoing support for the children as trusted adults who can help with bullying or school-related challenges. Moreover, tutors offer professional support in all common school subjects.
cleverly CEO Fredrik Harkort said: "Our coaching approach helps solve acute problems on the one hand and promote long-term personal development on the other.”
cleverly CFO Julia Harkort said: “With our digital 1-to-1 coaching approach, we help children and young people access their strengths at an early stage of their development and deal with challenges in a self-determined and constructive way. We are very happy to have already raised a total of 8.6 million euros in venture capital for strengthening children and young people."
Ilonka Jankovich, Founding Partner of Rubio Impact Ventures, said: "We are very excited to invest in the experienced and serial entrepreneurs Fredrik and Julia. cleverly is targeting one of the most pressing issues of our time: the strengthening of personal competencies that schoolchildren need for their lives today and their future. We believe that the development of personal skills at a young age can have a tremendous impact on the well-being of children.”
Jörg Binnenbrücker, Managing Partner of Capnamic, said: "cleverly picks up where the school system leaves off. Coaching for adults has long proven its worth and it only makes sense to help children unfold their full potential as well."
cleverly is an innovative kids-coaching service that supports children and teens (7-21 years old) to reach their full potential. The EdTech offers coaching for personal skills, e.g. self-confidence, as well as academic skills, e.g. motivation to learn. The offer is supplemented by tutoring in all common school subjects. EdTech founders Fredrik and Julia Harkort see the need for future-oriented education themselves every day – they are parents of two school-age children. cleverly was launched in summer 2021 and is based in Berlin, with the team working locally and remotely across Germany.