Major technology firms and emerging startups are exploring ways to leverage generative AI in developing software and hardware tailored for children. Many current offerings rely primarily on text or voice interactions, which may not fully engage young users. To address this, three former Google employees have introduced Sparkli, an interactive app powered by generative AI. Founded last year by Lax Poojary, Lucie Marchand, and Myn Kang, Sparkli emerged from the founders' own experiences as parents. Poojary and Kang found themselves unable to fully satisfy their children’s curiosity or provide compelling answers to their questions.

“Children are naturally inquisitive,” Poojary explained. “My son would ask how cars work or why it rains. I tried using tools like ChatGPT or Gemini to break things down for a six-year-old, but even then, it’s just a wall of text. What kids really crave is an interactive experience.”

Before launching Sparkli, Poojary and Kang co-founded Touring Bird, a travel aggregator, and Shoploop, a video-centric social commerce app, through Google’s internal incubator, Area 120. Poojary later contributed to shopping initiatives at Google and YouTube, while Marchand, now Sparkli’s CTO, was also a Shoploop co-founder and spent time at Google. “If a child asked about Mars fifty years ago, we might have shown a static image,” Poojary noted. “A decade ago, perhaps a video. With Sparkli, we enable kids to interact with and experience what Mars is like.”

The startup points out that traditional education systems often lag in covering contemporary subjects. Sparkli aims to teach children about modern topics such as design thinking, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship through AI-driven learning “expeditions.”

Within the app, users can explore predefined topics across various categories or pose their own questions to generate a personalized learning journey. A new topic is highlighted daily to encourage consistent discovery. Children can choose to listen to AI-generated narration or read accompanying text. Each topic is broken into chapters that blend audio, video, images, quizzes, and games. The app also features adaptive, choose-your-own-adventure style activities designed to reduce the pressure of right-or-wrong answers.

Poojary shared that Sparkli uses generative AI to produce all media assets dynamically. The platform can assemble a learning experience within two minutes of a query and is working to shorten that time further. While AI assistants can support learning, Sparkli emphasizes that education is not their core focus. To ensure pedagogical effectiveness, the startup’s first hires included a PhD specialist in educational science and AI, along with an experienced teacher.

Safety is a critical concern when children interact with AI, especially in light of lawsuits against companies like OpenAI and Character.ai over allegations that their tools encouraged self-harm. Sparkli prohibits sexual content entirely and approaches sensitive topics like self-harm by guiding children toward emotional intelligence and encouraging conversations with parents.

The company is currently piloting its app with an educational institute that serves over 100,000 students across its network. Sparkli targets children aged 5 to 12 and tested its product in more than 20 schools last year.

Sparkli has also developed a teacher module that enables educators to track student progress and assign homework. Inspired by platforms like Duolingo, the app incorporates streaks, rewards, and quest cards—tied to a child’s chosen avatar—to encourage regular use and revisiting lessons.

“Feedback from our school pilots has been very positive,” Poojary said. “Teachers use Sparkli to create expeditions that kickstart classroom discussions or assign as follow-up homework to gauge comprehension.”

While Sparkli plans to focus on partnering with schools worldwide in the coming months, it aims to make the app available for direct download by parents around mid-2026. The startup has secured $5 million in pre-seed funding led by Swiss venture firm Founderful, marking the firm’s first dedicated edtech investment.

Lukas Weder, Founding Partner at Founderful, cited the team’s technical expertise and market potential as key factors in the investment. “As a father of two school-aged children, I see them learning many things, but not necessarily modern topics like financial literacy or tech innovation. Sparkli offers a product that can draw them away from video games and into immersive learning,” Weder remarked.

This information was originally shared on January 22, 2026.