Coming to a student’s iPad near you: Boddle launches in Apple App Store as edtech startup celebrates third birthday
February 14, 2021 | Startland News Staff
A Kansas City-generated gamified math education platform is expanding its user base this weekend as Boddle Learning debuts the high-profile startup’s long-awaited iOS app version.
The move is expected to most immediately benefit schools that use iPads, as well as parents at home who can now more-easily access the technology on mobile devices, said Edna Martinson, co-founder of Boddle.
What is Boddle Learning?
Boddle offers a gamified approach to increasing student engagement while creating a virtual, immersive math environment. The technology’s unique AI operates on an adaptive algorithm that easily identifies each student’s individual learning gaps before adjusting assessment questions to target the skills that need reinforcement and are necessary to advance.
Boddle was designed for positive reinforcement. Students’ game characters feature bottle-heads that fill up as they learn, which was designed to encourage them to fill up on knowledge, as well as to value themselves and others for what they see on the inside.
Click here to learn more about Boddle.
“This app launch is a pivotal milestone for Boddle, and it fits perfectly with our commitment to increasing accessibility to engaging math practice for all students,” she said. “By releasing the app, we hope that Boddle can support more students during both remote and in-person learning and make it super fun for kids to practice and master math anywhere.”
Launching Boddle in the Apple App Store coincides with the startup’s third anniversary — Feb. 14, a fitting day for Martinson and co-founder/husband Clarence Tan — and comes as demands for remote learning resources and tools continue during the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing restrictions of in-person learning, she said.
Click here to download the app in the Apple App Store.
Identified as one of Startland News’ Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2020, Boddle experienced a surge in user adoption during the pandemic and expanded its reach to 50,000-plus student sign-ups across all 50 U.S. states and 100 countries globally.
In July, Boddle announced a $350,000 investment by Atento Capital — an infusion that required the leading Kansas City edtech startup to relocate to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to work more closely with the funder. Boddle previously received significant funding from AT&T and was a $50,000 finalist in the OHUB.KC accelerator.
Click here to read more about the Atento investment.
Boddle, however, remains connected to the Kansas City metro, Martinson told Startland News. Co-founder Tan on Thursday was announced as one of 13 new fellows for Kansas City-based Pipeline Entrepreneurs.
Click here to see the other five Kansas City founders entering Pipeline in 2021.
This story is possible thanks to support from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a private, nonpartisan foundation that works together with communities in education and entrepreneurship to create uncommon solutions and empower people to shape their futures and be successful.
For more information, visit www.kauffman.org and connect at www.twitter.com/kauffmanfdn and www.facebook.com/kauffmanfdn
Featured Business

2021 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Pure Pitch Rally passes $1 million in prizes; FastDemocracy and TheraWe lead winners
A quick-paced pitch competition Wednesday saw big wins for political tracking startup FastDemocracy and child therapy resource TheraWe Connect, with more than $1 million in prizes awarded between 10 young companies. “Our sponsors felt a funding head-rush like a speeding train — throwing money everywhere,” said Michael Williamson, an IP attorney for Polsinelli, one of…
Be fearlessly honest about diversity gap, Atlanta expert tells KC Techweek panelists (Photos)
Building an inclusive startup community begins with being unafraid to directly state the problem — a diversity gap — free of coded language related to race and gender, said Rodney Sampson. “I am unapologetically about being ‘color-brave’ and ‘race-brave’ — rather than being ‘color blind’ — because when you say ‘color blind,’ you’re saying you…
Hunting access to capital? Do your homework first, Techweek panel says
Imagining overnight startup success is as unrealistic as wanting to become a winning athlete or megastar musician overnight — it all takes time and practice, said Juan Campos. “If you actually have the ambition to create a multimillion dollar company, then the people that are the most successful at that didn’t just wake up one…
Real estate tech firm RealQuantum moving from bootcamp to LaunchKC stage
Lacking the sex appeal of tech and other high-growth, super-charged industries, the world of commercial real estate is ripe for change, said Jeff Weiner. LaunchKC competitor RealQuantum is ready to modernize that landscape, he said. “Serving a critical need that doesn’t really get a lot of attention is a really smart place to be and…


