Fuhu develops kid-focused hardware and software, with its nabi 2 Android tablet positioned as a child-friendly device featuring a specialized interface. The company has cultivated relationships with various content providers to deliver kids’ and educational content. Fuhu is based in Los Angeles and previously raised a Series B from Acer. Its current notable financing is a $5 million investment from KDDI’s Open Innovation Fund to support expansion. Fuhu plans to enter the Japanese market with KDDI’s backing, though product details and launch timing have not been disclosed. The article does not report revenue or user metrics. Fuhu designs, sells and supports the nabi tablet line, including the nabi 2 — a full-featured Android tablet made for kids. The nabi 2 runs Android 4.0, is powered by the NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor, and uses Fuhu’s proprietary Monarch OS combined with premier content partners. Product offerings emphasize education (state-standardized K–5 lessons with 2,500 lessons and 30,000 practice questions) and entertainment (Spinlets+ music and TV, HD games, ebooks), plus parental analytics (N-SITE) and chore/reward mechanics (nabi Coins, Treasure Box). The ecosystem also includes nabi Sync and nabi Cloud for syncing and storage, and the device ships with over $200 of preloaded content. The nabi 2 is sold at major retailers including Walmart, Best Buy, GameStop, Target, and Amazon at a $199.99 price point. Fuhu is headquartered in El Segundo, California, with offices in Denver and San Jose, and says it will use new funding to expand its ecosystem, grow the company, and develop partnerships to increase global reach. FUHU builds embeddable virtual identity cards (urFooz) and rich-media widgets (including Spinlets) that let users create avatars, aggregate music/photos/videos/feeds, and syndicate profiles across social networks. urFooz profiles can link to Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, FriendFeed, blogs and more, and users can purchase virtual clothing via a urFooz virtual mall. The Spinlets widget lets users embed music (with video, pictures and expanded functionality planned) and other rich media on social networks, sites and blogs. FUHU says urFooz currently has about 20,000 users and CEO Jim Mitchell projects the Acer integration could add 1–2 million users per month. The company has a 10-year contract with The Acer Group to distribute and preinstall FUHU products on Acer computers and smart mobile phones, with some pre-loaded Spinlets/urFooz mashups planned. Competitors in the space include Slide and RockYou.

Total raised

$21M

Funding rounds

3

Latest round

Equity

Latest activity

Nov 2012