• Codie

  Led · Equity · Apr 2015

  Codie Labs builds Codie, a fast, rolling programmable robot toy controlled via iOS and Android apps that teaches children ages 6–15 coding through colorful drag-and-drop blocks. The robot has a wooden exterior, two treads, proximity sensors, a microphone, line readers, and a customizable LED. Children can program actions (move, turn, decide, wait, sound) or use a manual on-screen joystick; the app also teaches higher-level concepts like conditionals and loops. The robot retails for €199 (about $216 USD). The company pre-sold over 500 robots via an Indiegogo campaign that raised $96,000 and says most units will ship by Christmas or early 2016. Codie Labs plans to raise an additional seed round early next year to support marketing and distribution. Codie is a wheeled programmable robot sold alongside companion iOS and Android apps that use a simplified visual programming language composed of draggable blocks. The $150+ bot includes seven onboard sensors (temperature, ultrasonic distance, light, line tracking), a buzzer, microphone and LED ring, and connects to the apps via Bluetooth. The touchscreen software emphasizes gesture controls, real-time feedback (no compile time), and constructs such as conditionals and loops to teach logical thinking. The team plans a cloud community for users to share programs and a feature to convert visual programs into editable JavaScript so kids can progress toward text-based coding. The startup launched an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign with a $70,000 goal to fund manufacturing and software development and aims to ship bots to backers by November if it reaches the target. Codie was founded in February 2013 and is developed by a Hungarian team; the founders went full time on the project a year after founding. Prior financings include a $125,000 investment from iCatapult in February 2014 and a $10,000 angel investment.

No current team members are available.