Van Robotics Update | Shark Tank Season 11
Math proficiency around the U.S. is falling. Laura Boccanfuso saw a chance to change the way students learn. Her robotic math tutor uses AI to break down barriers and increase motivation in students who find math too challenging. Will the sharks see the value in this experimental technology during Season 11? Find out in our
Shark Tank Van Robotics Update
- Entrepreneur: Laura Boccanfuso
- Business: Robotic math tutors for kids
- Ask: $300,000 for 10% equity
- Result: No deal
- Shark: None
Van Robotic’s math tutor, Abii, was the center of Laura’s pitch. This bot led to better outcomes in pilot testing so far, though the bot wasn’t on the market at the time. Though the sharks loved the message, the lack of market research was a sticking point for them.
Lori Greiner went out first because it was too early. Guest shark Anne Wojcicki was next. This competitive space hadn’t been tested enough, and the pilot testing wasn’t a large enough pool for her. Kevin O’Leary had some experience selling to schools with products like Oregon Trail and other learning games. He went out because selling to schools is difficult.
Daymond John, on the other hand, was in the digital curriculum space. He stated that schools often don’t buy new systems because they already have their own. He didn’t want to go on the journey with her, so he went out.
This left Mark Cuban. Mark wanted to know what made Abii special, as there are already other companies with AI learning. Though Laura tried to explain the social connection here, Mark said it wasn’t enough and went out. So, Van Robotics walked away without a deal. Let’s see how they’re doing now in our
Our Van Robotics update research was wild! Since appearing on the show, Van Robotics won Time Magazine’s Best Invention of 2020. It appears that the company has received a grant from the Department of Education to provide 16 school districts with their own robotics math teachers. The company is expanding rapidly and has about $4 million in annual revenue.
What about the other company updates from Season 11 Episode 21? You can find them here:
Don’t forget to check out our company updates from the rest of Season 11 on our Season 11 products page.
