Sesame Workshop
1900 Broadway, New York, NY, 10023, United States
Overview
Sesame Workshop is a non-profit educational organization focused on using educational power to enable children to reach their highest potential. It is the creator of the renowned program, [Sesame Street](http://www.crunchbase.com/organization/sesame-street). The organization is also engaged in delivering educational programs internationally. Its services are provided through publications, websites, interactive media and technology, and more. Sesame Workshop provides programs that are tailored to the unique needs of children, their countries, and culture which are created with local educators, advisors, and puppeteers. Sesame Workshop works in collaboration with Joan Ganz Cooney Center, an innovation lab that is engaged in research. It has received funds from foundations, corporations, individuals, governments, and other ventures. It operates in many countries and reaches over 40 million children worldwide. Sesame Workshop was founded in 1968 and is based in 1 Lincoln Plaza, New York. It was established by Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett.
- Total investments
- 2
- Lead investments
- 0
- Investments · 12mo
- 0
- Active investors
- 8
Sector focus
- Humanitarian
- Non Profit
- Underserved Children
Investment portfolio
- Mighty
Participated · Seed · Jul 2021
Mighty is a year-old, L.A.-based e-commerce platform that enables children to create and operate online stores. The company is led by founders Ben Goldhirsh and Dana Mauriello and is currently operating in beta with roughly 3,000 “CEOs” on the platform. To reduce friction early on, Mighty sells customizable hats, totes and stickers produced by Printful and offers artisan goods through a partnership with Novica. Children cannot yet list their own handmade items or offer services on the platform, though the company intends to enable peer-made goods and services (for example, lawn care) in the future. Mighty currently generates transaction-based revenue and plans to layer in subscription services down the road. The founders position the product as project-based learning and entrepreneurship for kids, while acknowledging potential competitive pressure from incumbents like Shopify and possible concerns about child participation in commerce.
- BEGiN
Participated · Series C · Sep 2020
BEGiN, known for its HOMER early learning program, began in 2013 and started with a focus on literacy; its reading apps are among the most popular for children under five in the U.S. App Store. The company designs curriculum-driven digital experiences and is expanding beyond reading into math, critical thinking, creativity, and socio-emotional learning. BEGiN plans to deliver a comprehensive early learning program across digital, physical/tangible products and in-class mediums, with a focus on serving both the child and the parent. The founders are Neal Shenoy (CEO) and Stephanie Dua. The company reports hundreds of thousands of subscribers and generates tens of millions of dollars in revenue. BEGiN has seen strong recent growth, including a 280% increase in annual subscriptions, 230% increase in website subscriptions, children accessing 30% more lessons, and 80%+ year-over-year growth since launch.