MEL Science, a subscription EdTech service, has raised a $2.5m Series A round from Sistema Venture Capital.
Founded in 2014, the firm’s subscription service dispatches two experiment sets to subscribers each month. The experiments work with MEL’s app, or a Google Cardboard device that comes as part of the subscription. The first experiment set will incorporate VR and AR.
Vassili Philippov, founder of MEL Science, said: “We chose the UK as HQ because it is a country with the world’s strongest educational traditions and the best specialists in this field.”
The company says it will use the funding to fuel the development of its VR component, launch new products, and expand its team.
“We’ve chosen Sistema Venture Capital as our investor and partner to strengthen our technological expertise and to obtain support for active business development,” he added.
MEL Science’s R&D centre is based in Russia; a decision Philippov attributed to the country’s reputation for good quality scientists and developers.
Alexei Katkov, president of Sistema Venture Capital, commented: “We think MEL Science’s chemistry kits are a product of the future, which perfectly reflects our investment philosophy. We all have children and we want them to get the best education, no matter where in the world they live and what opportunities they have for learning.”