Encourage creators, not consumers

By 2018, children were surrounded by polished devices whose inner workings were invisible. We wanted their first relationship with technology to be active: not only tapping, swiping, and consuming, but questioning, building, and creating. Technology was too important to be shaped by a small group of people while everyone else learned only how to use it.

We brought the Montessori method to STEM through self-directed, tactile learning. Wooden coding blocks made instructions visible. A physical programming board gave each sequence an order children could inspect and change. Stories, music, movement, and a curious brown bear turned abstract logic into an adventure for children ages three and up.

Physical coding blocks! A real programming board! And a very curious bear.

Turn code into something children can hold

We made screen-free play a constraint from the beginning. Instead of hiding code behind another sleek black box, Mochi let children place a block, predict what would happen, watch the bear move, and revise the sequence themselves. The feedback loop was physical enough to follow and playful enough to repeat.

We spent hundreds of hours visiting homes, observing classrooms, interviewing families and educators, and testing prototypes with children. What we learned shaped the mechanics. The character began as an aardvark with a long, curious nose before becoming the familiar brown bear. Story-based adventures gave children a reason to keep going while each new sequence built on what they already understood.

Build the whole experience

Once our prototypes worked, the questions moved into factories, supply chains, curriculum, launch operations, and support. Our team across 14 time zones carried Mochi from prototype to production through product and creative direction, engineering and education partnerships, manufacturing, 24/7 customer support, and volunteer-led translation into 11 languages.

FILMING MOCHI'S KICKSTARTED LAUNCH VIDEO FOR CHRISTMAS 2019

Mochi has now shipped to tens of thousands of homes and schools across 63 countries and counting. Families can find it through Amazon, the App Store, Google Play, direct sales, and partners worldwide.

What reached families and classrooms

External recognition helped us explain an unfamiliar kind of toy to families and educators. A few of our favorite accolades:

From families and educators, we measured learning and joy through how children and teachers used it at home and in classrooms.

Replacing screen-time with hands-on alternatives since 2018.

Public artifacts

Empowering creators, not consumers - the product, team, and Montessori method for STEM.

The Making of Mochi - the product manifesto and the long road from aardvark to bear.

Meet Mochi Bear - computational thinking for ages three and up, in sixty seconds.

AVC: Funding Friday - Mochi's 2019 crowdfunding launch, featured by Fred Wilson.