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.

[pullquote]

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.

[/pullquote]

“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.

[divide]

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

Tagged , , , ,
Featured Business
    Featured Founder
      [adinserter block="4"]

      2021 Startups to Watch

        stats here

        Related Posts on Startland News

        Couple injects $1M ‘financial good’ from RxSS exit to startup special needs initiative; they hope it’s a blueprint for KC

        By Tommy Felts | July 30, 2025

        Michael and Brandy Rea built and successfully exited one of Kansas City’s fastest-growing health tech companies. Now the Rx Savings Solutions founders share a new prescription for impact: creating inclusive housing for adults with disabilities. Shifting from entrepreneurship to philanthropy, the Michael and Brandy Rea Family Foundation contributed a $1 million lead gift to support…

        How this reality TV show helps competing entrepreneurs find their people — not just adversaries

        By Tommy Felts | July 29, 2025

        It’s five days, 14-hour workdays, and one intense experience aimed at helping entrepreneurs sharpen their businesses. The setup for The Blox — a startup-focused reality TV competition and bootcamp — is crafted to immerse builders in the rigors of real-world business, said Weston Bergmann. Season 17 of the live-in competition show launched in June, emphasizing…

        C2FO named top fintech by CNBC; leaders celebrate win, pushing toward $500B funding milestone

        By Tommy Felts | July 29, 2025

        A Kansas City fintech’s award-winning efforts to boost working capital access for businesses across the globe not only has built trust among the world’s top enterprises, said Sandy Kemper; it’s positioned C2FO for even greater impact as it transforms the financing landscape for previously overlooked ventures. The company was honored this month as one of…

        Bar K dog bar closes all locations, calling out KC riverfront construction, rising inflation

        By Tommy Felts | July 29, 2025

        Owners of the award-winning Bar K dog bar — a popular destination for four-legged Kansas Citians and their friends — announced its closure Tuesday, after nearly a decade in business that saw the concept expand to St. Louis and Oklahoma City before suddenly shuttering all operations. “We are heartbroken to announce that Bar K will be…