Having spent 2017 in the Disney Accelerator, Oslo-based Kahoot! has changed direction, moving from a digital quiz developer used by many teachers to a self-described “Netflix of education.”
This week’s purchase of educational gaming darling Dragonbox in an $18 million deal is the latest in a series of moves that seem to indicate the company is rapidly repositioning itself, using it teacher familiarity to become a application platforms for schools.
Although Dragonbox was hailed by experts as a game that has clear impact on students’ ability to learn math, the game struggled to find commercial success and a large market.
Kahoot! thinks its position in the market can move the game to a broader audience.
Talking with TechCrunch, Åsmund Furuseth, Kahoot’s CEO and co-founder, said, “In general, it’s hard for many small and even successful ed-tech companies to reach a large mass of users because it’s difficult to cut through the noise. We think our brand can help by reaching out with more learning experiences now and in the future.”
So far, that aid is directed primarily at companies connected with Kahoot. In December 2018, the company launched its own incubator Ignite, which offers smaller developers a way to connect to the Kahoot audience.
It all appears part of Kahoot’s focus on expanding its general use and premium subscribers in schools.
Late last year, the company reported 40,000 paying subscribers, bringing in nearly $2 million in revenue. But almost 25,000 of those were businesses that use Kahoot for its digital tools.
To hear the way the company talks about 2019, this is the year of the school and Dragonbox is a major step in that effort.
“The acquisition will strengthen Kahoot!’s platform with the DragonBox award-winning math learning apps, community and school curriculum. Together, we will make the best math learning experience available for Kahoot!’s hundreds of millions of users around the world, both inside and outside the classroom,” said Eilert Hanoa, Chairman of Kahoot! in the press release.
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