Kadho is branching out from its gaming app roots. The startup, based at The Vine in University Research Park in Irvine, recently signed a contract with New York-based IBM to create a toy. Kadho will integrate its software with IBM’s artificial intelligence platform, known as Watson, said Kadho co-founder Kaveh Azartash.
Azartash and co-founder Dhonam Pemba are both neuroscientists with doctorates from the University of California-Irvine.
The goal is for Kadho and IBM to co-develop an interactive toy that teaches English to children in a way that adapts to each child’s pace. Kadho plans to launch the toy, called Mochu, on Nov. 11 in China, according to Azartash.
“This contract really shows that we can put our science and tech on hardware and (launch) an Internet of Things toy,” he said.
Kadho will hit the Chinese market even before the launch of the toy. In the works is an April debut of an app called Kadho English that will teach English to children in China with interactive, video-based content. The efficacy of Kadho English was validated by a recent study in China that demonstrated a significant improvement in children’s ability to learn English. One example of the findings: a 93% improvement in English pronunciation. The study involved Mandarin-speaking children, though the app will teach English to both Mandarin and Cantonese-speaking Chinese children, Azartash said.
The software program for the app, which has been in the works since 2008, is based on an algorithm Kadho created that mimics a child’s natural ability to learn languages, Azartash said.
Kadho’s future plans include expanding the software to teach eight other languages, including French and Italian.
“Because of the data we have from the (study) and the fact the market size is just huge, we decided to focus on China first,” Azartash said.
Kadho has raised about $1 million through angel investors, Azartash said. It’s in the midst of raising a pre-A round of $2.5 million from Chinese and Silicon Valley-based investors who will put a valuation on the company upon closing, he added. Kadho also aims to open a Series A round by the end of the third quarter or in the early fourth quarter with the goal of expanding its engineering and sales team.
Packing House to Culinary School
Foodies can do startups, too.
A new cooking school has opened in Anaheim that combines hands-on instruction from professional chefs and online training. CulinaryLab welcomed its first students on Jan. 11 at the Packing House in Anaheim. Chef Director Ryan Wagner said he chose the location to be near “many of the great OC restaurants” and closer to L.A., in addition to immersing students in the culinary environment of the Packing House.
The building, now a food hall, is one of the few remaining packing houses from the county’s agricultural era. It houses various cafes and also features picnic gardens and an outdoor marketplace called Farmers’ Park.
The school’s curriculum includes 18 months of professional training and an apprenticeship in a restaurant kitchen alongside some of the area’s top chefs, Wagner said. Students spend two days a week learning cooking techniques and another two days at an OC or L.A. restaurant, where they apply their training alongside the chefs.
Classes are smaller than at traditional, larger culinary schools, according to Wagner. Students receive a Chromebook and Google Drive access as part of their tuition to keep them connected with digital learning materials and resources. Tuition is $19,800.
Partnerships with local farms, such as Primal Pastures in Murietta; Alegria, at Great Park in Irvine; and Kepner Farms in Tustin, provide students with more hands-on learning opportunities, as well as experience with local sourcing and sustainable purchasing, or buying food with the environment in mind.
‘Showdown’ at Saddleback
The “Showdown” semi-finals for the Social Entrepreneurship Venture Challenge will take place March 19 at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo. The event will feature 14 semi-finalists, including six local contestants.
Newport Beach-based Academies for Social Entrepreneurship, known as ASE, is producing the challenge. The organization provides training, mentoring and resource development for social entrepreneurs—business owners who hope to do well by doing good.
It has fostered opportunities for startups to obtain more than $10 million in new investment and revenue since its inception, founder Betsy Densmore said.
The competition received nearly 100 applications from around the world and the 14 semi-finalists are now being coached and vetted in advance of the semi-finals. Judges will have the ultimate decision, but three to five semi-finalists will likely move on to the finals, Densmore said.
Cash awards of at least $30,000 will be awarded at the finals in May in Long Beach. ASE hopes to secure $1 million in new funding for the competitors from investors who attend the presentations, she said.
