When the COVID-19 pandemic emerged in 2020, causing schools to shift to online education, both Joe Titus and Paul Suhr expressed concern about how to keep their children active without mandatory P.E. classes and organized sports.
In response, the two friends developed Hiveclass, an innovative edtech platform based in New York. This platform provides K-12 students with online courses covering fitness, sports, dance, yoga, nutrition, mindfulness, and even self-defense.
Even as we move further into a post-pandemic era, the platform continues to gain traction due to emerging trends. Many children are showing a growing disinterest in traditional P.E. classes, often opting to skip them. For numerous students, the pressure of competition in P.E. can lead to negative experiences, including bullying.
Furthermore, parents throughout the U.S. face challenges in affording youth sports programs. Titus and Suhr, who bonded over playing baseball in second grade, wish their children could enjoy sports as they did, but many such opportunities are slipping out of reach.
“As a parent in New York City,” Titus remarked, “the disparities in sports costs were astonishing. I was my son’s first soccer coach, and the expenses involved were enormous. I thought, ‘How can a family in low-income housing manage to pay for soccer?’”
Investors are also recognizing the potential of virtual P.E. courses. Hiveclass—where Titus serves as CEO and Suhr as chief product officer—recently secured $1.5 million in seed funding.
This investment will be directed towards product development, including enhancements to a teacher portal utilized by educators who integrate Hiveclass into their instruction to foster greater student engagement. Additionally, they plan to introduce new offerings tailored for students with special needs.
Instead of targeting parents directly, Hiveclass focuses on marketing its services to public schools and libraries.
The platform offers a series of brief instructional videos that teach children various activities, from dribbling a basketball to other skills. These videos are accompanied by quizzes that encourage written feedback, keeping students attentive and engaged.
Teachers accessing the portal can track their students’ progress and quiz responses, ensuring that everyone is completing their assignments. (One of Hiveclass’s unique selling points is that students can obtain P.E. credits through these external activities.)
Hiveclass differentiates itself from other educational technology platforms and even YouTube educational channels by specifically concentrating on P.E. and wellness. The company asserts that its offerings align with national standards established by SHAPE America, an organization focused on physical education in the United States. Its closest competitor, PLT4M, is also a member of SHAPE America.
To date, the company has partnered with over 80 educational institutions and serves more than 13,000 students and teachers.
While Hiveclass does not publicly disclose its pricing structure, it customizes its offerings for each client based on their unique needs, including the number of students. The platform claims to have generated more than $2 million in revenue and aims to reach an additional $1 million by the coming month. Titus also mentions that the company is considering exploring new revenue avenues, including possible licensing agreements.
The latest funding round was spearheaded by Spring Mountain Capital, with participation from the Georgetown Angel Investor Network (GAIN), New York State Venture Fund, Rethink Education, and Techstars.
With this funding, Hiveclass has successfully raised over $3 million in total capital to date.
Compiled by Techarena.au.
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