Tots Sitting Comfortably And Tuning Into Invention
Children across the world could soon be listening to stories on a North East invention after its founders secured the funding to embark on an ambitious expansion plan.
County Durham-based Ameeca, which has designed MP3 headsets called StoryPhones, has secured £440,000 in funding from various sources including a venture capital fund managed by Entrust.
The investment will be used to manufacture 2,000 sets of four and six headsets which will be sold to schools and nurseries and help bring the firm’s turnover up to £1.2m in its first year.
Within nine to 12 months the company aims to sell internationally and in the home.
Managing director Simon Johnson, who set up the business with his wife Eleanor, said StoryPhone had already attracted interest from America, Asia and Europe.
He also highlighted the importance of the backing Ameeca has received from Entrust’s North East Equity Matching Fund (NEEMF) which contributed £100,000 to its latest batch of funding.
He said: “Without the investment from NEEMF we wouldn’t have been able to progress any further. With their advice and funding we have been able to start production and hope to put StoryPhones on sale in four months time.”
StoryPhones, which are sold in sets of four at £495 and six at £595, link a computer via a USB port with supporting software that enables a teacher to download stories, manage audio files or buy new resources online.
The concept is the brainchild of Mrs Johnson – an early years teacher who wanted to bring MP3 technology into the classroom after 15 years of using tapes and CDs for audio activities.
An interesting idea has managed to turn into a successful business for Simon and Eleanor Johnson. Their popularity is growing so fast that they’re finding their business expanding outside of their current sales regions.
Image from StoryPhones.
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