AT&T deal brings head-to-head ‘Pet Battles’ to Boddle in a first for the KC-made edtech app

A new collaboration between Boddle Learning and AT&T hopes to keep students plugged into learning long after they’ve unplugged from the classroom. 

“With summer break quickly approaching, it’s important to help kids maintain knowledge outside of the classroom,” AT&T said in a release announcing its teamed up with Tulsa-based, Kansas City-born Boddle to introduce new in-app features to its “Pet Battles” educational game that are expected to “supplement and enhance lessons through immersive, interactive experiences with the help of AT&T 5G.1” technology. 

Click here to learn more about Boddle Learning — a finalist for the just-announced Oklahoma Most Promising New Venture honors — or here to download the app.

The game introduced player versus player functionality into the Boddle app for the first time, creating opportunities for students to play against their peers at various grade levels, the companies explained, noting such capability is fueled by artificial intelligence which customizes math questions for each player based on their learning needs.

Click here to read about Boddle’s 2021 $1.35 million funding round, led by Atento Capital and included Kansas City’s own KCRise Fund. 

“We’ve supported kids, parents, and teachers with engaging math through at-home and in-school learning and seen firsthand how learning through gameplay helps kids unlock their confidence to learn,” said Clarence Tan, co-founder of Boddle. 

“Our team at Boddle is excited to continue expanding learning opportunities for kids of all demographics through this AT&T 5G collaboration that will open the possibilities of where and how kids learn and really bring math to life through AR.”

Boddle previously completed the AT&T Accelerator and was in 2019 awarded $25,000 through its “Pitches with Purpose” contest. The company’s continued collaboration with the educational technology (edtech) startup is its latest show of commitment to advance educational opportunities for students no matter where they learn, it said. 

“Gamified learning is ushering in the next generation of education, and keeping kids connected will be key,” said Glenn Couper, assistant vice president of 5G product and innovation. 

“Boddle’s customized learning platform brings an immediate benefit for students today, making learning more interactive, interesting, accessible, and fun. We’re proud to help them unlock the connected learning of tomorrow that will reshape education as we know it.”

As part of the collaboration, Boddle will also contribute video lessons and activities to AT&T and its free, digital learning platform “The Achievery” — an effort to make distance learning more entertaining, engaging, and inspiring for students and part of the company’s AT&T Connected Learning initiative which promotes digital inclusion, literacy, and learning solutions.

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