Maka Kids is Revolutionizing Children’s Screen Time with a Well-Being Focused Streaming App.

Amidst the reign of Baby Shark and Skibidi Toilet, a new startup is transforming children’s media by prioritizing well-being over screen time.

Maka Kids is launching a streaming app for toddlers aged zero to six, offering content specifically designed for healthy development. The startup has secured $3 million in pre-seed funding to improve its platform and is currently inviting registrations for a waitlist.

In contrast to typical streaming platforms, Maka Kids avoids recommendation algorithms, advertisements, and auto-play features. Its goal is to provide a stable experience that fosters learning, creativity, and emotional growth.

Founded by Isabel Sheinman and Tanyella Leta, who previously created Nabu—a non-profit that provided children’s books to over 15 million kids in 26 countries—Maka Kids is their most recent project.

Sheinman and Leta first met over dinner in 2013 through a mutual friend and instantly connected. In a message to TechCrunch, they explained how their backgrounds in families of educators and entrepreneurs motivated their work with Nabu and later sparked their enthusiasm for Maka Kids.

The concept for Maka Kids emerged after discussions with friends, family, and Nabu customers. They encountered concerned parents anxious about the effects of screen time on their kids. To tackle these concerns, the duo conducted hundreds of user interviews, which shaped their strategy for developing a streaming app centered around wellness.

“Parents were feeling completely overwhelmed trying to navigate decisions on what was safe, what was beneficial, and why their child reacted so strongly when screen time ended,” Sheinman observed. “At the same time, we noticed the children’s media landscape becoming increasingly chaotic, faster-paced, and driven by algorithms. We felt compelled to provide the relief that parents were seeking.”

Each content piece on Maka Kids is evaluated using Maka Imprint, a pending patent developmental framework developed over two years of research with experts from the Yale Child Study Center. This framework identifies seven key areas of early childhood development and over 650 developmental indicators, including language, creativity, emotional skills, and a growth mindset.

Maka Kids partners with IP owners and individual creators for content acquisition, collaborating with studios and animators to create original projects.

Every show is meticulously evaluated with a focus on pacing, stimulation levels, color contrast, and narrative structure. The platform prioritizes slower-paced, lower-stimulation content that features rich storytelling and diverse cultural narratives.

The founders stress that a critical aspect often overlooked in the screen time dialogue is how the right story, shared at the right moment, can greatly benefit a young child.

“Stories can nurture language skills, emotional regulation, curiosity, and broaden children’s perspectives,” Leta emphasized. “At its best, children’s media serves as a significant developmental resource for families when crafted with purpose. Most current platforms for kids tend to cater mainly to adult viewers, treating children’s experiences as an afterthought, where the primary focus is more on watching time than on well-being.”

Parents can establish profiles for their children and select channels focusing on various themes such as kindness, STEM, emotional regulation, or movement, as well as set preferred viewing times. Maka Kids then curates age-appropriate content based on these choices.

Each session ends naturally, with characters offering prompts to help children transition peacefully away from screen time without distress.

Maka Kids plans to launch a private beta on iOS this summer, with a public release targeted for the fall for iPhone and iPad, including AirPlay support. The startup has already attracted thousands of families to its waitlist.

The app will be subscription-based, priced at $11.99 per month, with a discounted annual option available.

Regarding its recent funding, the startup aims to utilize the resources to grow its catalog of approved shows. The funding round was led by Michigan Rise and included contributions from Union Heritage Ventures, Flybridge, Also Capital, Detroit Venture Partners, Song United, Invest Detroit, Ann Arbor Spark Capital, 84I90, Georgetown Gain, and Segal Ventures, along with several angel investors.

“In the long run, our goal is to create a trust framework for every digital interaction children experience,” Sheinman explained. “Embedded within games, educational products, and shows, Maka Imprint can assist developers in aligning their creations with what truly benefits children and their families. The children’s category needs a dependable industry standard, and that’s exactly what we are working on.”