Kids’ audio platform Yoto raises $17m funding to fuel European and North American growth

The kids’ audio platform, Yoto – the London-based team behind the award-winning Yoto Player – has raised $17 million in a Series A funding to help facilitate its rapid growth across Europe and North America.

The investment was led by Acton Capital with participation from JamJar Investments, Global Founders Capital, Emerge Education, as well as MPL Ventures.

Controlled using physical cards to play children’s audio content, Yoto Player has been developed to give children full control over their listening with access to entertaining audio – spanning stories and music – designed to encourage learning and imaginative play.

Since launching the new Yoto Player in early 2020, the firm has experienced explosive growth, securing partnerships and content deals with trusted household names such as LEGO and Disney as well as licenses with Penguin Random House, Sony Music, HarperCollins, Hachette, Macmillan and more.

Yoto’s extensive and expanding content library features some of the world’s greatest children’s content including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Gruffalo, The Snowman, and Planet Omar with LEGO Duplo, Frozen, Finding Nemo and many more household names to be released in the coming months.

“In times where kids are growing-up on screens, one of the most important skills they need is to be able to use technology consciously and with balance. Yoto’s proprietary audio platform puts children in full control of how and when they consume audio content,” said Fritz Oidtmann, managing partner at Acton Capital.

“What further convinced us to invest was Yoto’s unique approach to combining native content with carefully curated partnerships. We are very happy to support the team’s vision to make Yoto’s high-quality, kid-centered content available worldwide.”

Richard Reed, JamJar Investments and Innocent Drinks co-founder, said: As a dad of three, I know from first-hand experience what a lifesaver Yoto is – it fires up your kids’ imagination and creativity, so they play independently and safely.

“As an investor, Yoto is everything you could be looking for – a new entertainment format for kids that has limitless potential, loved by its buyers and adored by its users, led by a whip smart, mission-focused team.”

In an effort to offer audio that will inspire the next generation of independent creative minds, Yoto is also investing in content that promotes mindfulness, meditation and sleep. Recently, Yoto launched a series of sleep content cards with Lifescore & Abbey Road Studios.

Leading the industry in audio that inspires children to take creative play into their own hands, Yoto also offers music, audio-based activities, podcasts, radio and sound effects.

In addition, the Yoto Player has a ‘Make Your Own’ function enabling users to link to their favourite radio stations or podcasts and record their very own stories.

“We designed Yoto around our own kids and we’ve seen how amazing it is to give kids control of their own listening. I’ve seen how this really does help with creativity and imagination compared to screen-time and the research backs that up,” said Ben Drury, CEO and co-founder of Yoto.

“I’m thrilled with how far we’ve come and the amount of families we’re getting amazing feedback from, and this new investment from some of the best funds in the UK and Europe that share our vision allows us to continue to fuel the curiosity of this generation of young learners through audio.”

Kids’ audio platform Yoto welcomes Frozen, Mickey Mouse and more in Disney and Pixar partnership

The children’s audio platform, Yoto – the team behind the Yoto Player – has detailed a new partnership with Disney and Pixar to release a collection of childhood classics and fantasy favourites, including Frozen, Mickey Mouse, Moana, and more across its library of content.

The new line-up will launch this May and throughout the year. Alongside licensing existing audio, the studio will also release new, original content created by Yoto.

The first collection of five-minute stories will be released in May and will feature much loved Disney characters such as Anna and Elsa from Disney’s Frozen, Mickey Mouse, Moana and more. These will be followed by classics such as Disney’s 101 Dalmatians and Aladdin, and Disney and Pixar’s Finding Nemo and Cars. Throughout the year, recent blockbusters including Onward and Soulwill also be released.

Ben Drury, CEO and co-founder of Yoto, said:We’re thrilled that the Yoto platform will now feature beloved childhood classics from Disney and Pixar. Helping children to explore their creativity and imagination through storytelling is incredibly important for us and this will be amplified even further with these new Disney cards featuring some of our favourite childhood characters that will be released throughout the year.”

The Disney cards will be available from Yoto in the UK, Ireland, USA and Canada from 20th May 2021.For more information please visit www.yotoplay.com.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid joins kids’ audio platform Yoto Player

Yoto, the team behind the award-winning audio platform for children, Yoto Player, has struck up a partnership with the internationally best-selling children’s book series Diary of A Wimpy Kid to bring three popular stories to the system.

Diary of a Wimpy Kids, Diary of a wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw will now be available on the Yoto Player in the form of Yoto Cards. The stories will each help children learn about important themes such a friendship, fitting in, and standing up for yourself.

The new stories will also encourage kids to enhance their imagination through screen-free audiotime.

The Yoto Player is controlled using physical cards that are inserted into the Player which plays audio content. Additionally, Yoto’s audio cards have the ability to play content through the app by simply tapping the card to the back of a compatible smartphone. The free-to-download Yoto smartphone app also contains a selection of free content available to all, and allows families to play their library of audio through other Bluetooth speakers.

“Providing kids with unique ways to interact with leading children’s stories like Diary of a Wimpy Kid is important to us,” said Ben Drury, CEO and co-founder of Yoto. “Yoto is built to help children take learning and creative play into their own hands, and partnering with The Diary of a Wimpy Kid helps us equip kids with the tools they need to learn and let their imagination wander.”

Vanessa Jedrej, global brand manager, Wimpy Kid Inc, added: “We’re really glad to partner with Yoto to extend our Wimpy Kid audio experience to young readers. Bringing entertainment and fun to kids in an accessible way is at the nerve-center of both our organisations and we hope our partnership will bring hours of laugh-out-loud listening to new audiences of kids.”

The The Diary of a Wimpy Kid cards are available now from £8.99 from www.yotoplay.com and Amazon.co.uk.