Ex-Google engineers emerge from stealth with $5M to build AI learning engine for kids
- ByStartupStory | January 23, 2026
Education is struggling to keep up with how kids learn today. School programs change slowly, and it takes a long time to update textbooks. Many educational tools still use fixed lessons or drills.
When kids use AI, they often find unsafe tools or long answers that can kill their curiosity. As a result, they spend more time on screens but learn less. That gap is what Sparkli wants to fix.
The Zurich-based startup, founded by former Google engineers, has emerged from stealth and raised $5 million in pre-seed funding from Founderful and others to build what it calls the first multimodal, AI-native learning engine designed specifically for children aged 5 to 12.
The idea is simple: instead of passive consumption, Sparkli turns a child’s question into an interactive learning journey. The company is already testing the platform through a strategic pilot with one of the world’s largest private school groups, covering more than 100 schools and over 100,000 students.
Focusing on “agency and curiosity gap”
Founded by Mynseok Kang, Lax Poojary and Lucie Marchand, Sparkli’s approach to modern childhood education focuses on three key changes to tackle what’s known as the ‘Agency and Curiosity Gap.’ They are:
- Velocity Shift: Instead of static curricula, Sparkli lets children explore new topics as they arise in real time.
- Engagement Shift: It replaces boring text from AI chatbots and passive screen time with engaging experiences using visuals, voice, and interactive simulations to make learning active and fun.
- Skills Shift: Sparkli emphasises developing essential skills such as creativity and problem-solving rather than simply memorising facts.
“Our goal is to build agency in the next generation,” said Lax Poojary, CEO and founder of Sparkli. “Children learn by exploring, making choices, and asking questions. Sparkli turns screen time into something that fuels curiosity instead of draining it.”
Sparkli’s platform lets children explore any topic in real time using visuals, voice, and playable simulations. If a child asks how to build a city on Mars, Sparkli does not return a wall of facts.
It creates an age-appropriate expedition where the child learns basic physics, simulates conditions, designs infrastructure, debates trade-offs, and explains decisions. The focus is on thinking, not memorising.
Early pilots suggest the approach is working. In classrooms, students have used Sparkli to run mock food businesses, debate budgets, and explore science topics of their own choosing. Parents testing the consumer version say screen time feels more purposeful, with children eager to explain what they learned.
What’s next?
The funding will allow Sparkli to scale its generative learning engine and prepare for a private beta launch in January 2026.
“Sparkli represents a step change in how children can interact with knowledge,” said Lukas Weder, Partner at Founderful. “The team is applying high-calibre engineering and thoughtful pedagogy to a space that desperately needs innovation. Their traction with schools shows a real appetite for tools that foster curiosity and agency rather than passive consumption.”
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