LaunchKC winner Boddle Learning scores $100K AT&T Aspire investment, accelerator

Kansas City-based Boddle Learning is filling with steam as the startup gains momentum and joins the AT&T-fronted Aspire accelerator, Clarence Tan revealed Wednesday.

“When we found out we were finalists, we were super, super happy,” Tan, founder and CEO, said of the lead-up to official word of Boddle’s selection for the San Francisco-based program.

“They were looking for companies that address educational issues in underserved communities and technology products that were going to help close the skills gap,” Tan explained, adding that Boddle carries a similar torch.

Click here to learn more about Boddle’s commitment to education.

Participation in the program comes with an initial $100,000 AT&T investment in Boddle, along with $25,000 to cover expenses tied to the six-month program, guidelines for the accelerator noted.

Mike Hurd, Downtown Council of Kansas City, with 2018 LaunchKC winners Boddle

An asset nearly as thrilling as the cash infusion for Tan and co-founder, Edna Martinson: Boddle will stay put in Kansas City, he said.

“That’s the best part,” Tan said excited. “… Working with the whole Kansas City ecosystem, LaunchKC, it’s really helped a lot.”

Boddle earned a $50,000 prize from LaunchKC in the fall of 2018, pushing the company closer towards its goals, Tan added. The startup also has benefited from the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s E-Scholars program.

Aspire will be Boddle’s first large-scale accelerator program, Tan said.

“Unlike other accelerators, [AT&T] talks to your company and they build out a customized curriculum based on what your individual company needs,” he said of reasons that made Aspire a good match for Boddle’s first adventure in acceleration.

“We’re getting close to launching our product, so that’s our goal for this accelerator program,” Tan continued.

AT&T Aspire is expected to conclude in December with a demo day in Dallas.