Featured Startup Pitches: Alif Baa iOS app teaches children the Arabic alphabet

ELEVATOR PITCH

Alif Baa teaches kids the Arabic alphabet, using mobile tech to make it fun and easy.

PRODUCT/SERVICE DESCRIPTION

Alif Baa is an iOS app that uses a series of captivating games to teach English speaking children the Arabic alphabet. Children journey through the games, completing exercises that incorporate a variety of learning techniques including flashcards, identification, sequencing, and handwriting.

The app can be used in a classroom, or childcare facility setting, or for individual learning.

The learning pace is customized to the needs of the child. Alif Baa encourages social learning through creating a community of students. The leaderboard shows the performance of each child. This encourages competitiveness amongst the app’s users to promote greater learning and it also allows parents to determine how well their child is progressing. Parents can even share their scores on social media networks like Facebook.

The app’s settings can also be tweaked by parents to allow for a customized yet enjoyable learning experience for their children, changing the visuals in the games and allowing a timer and scoring if users want it. There is also a hint feature that can be removed to make the games more challenging.

DIFFERENTIATORS VS THE COMPETITION

Unlike Alif Baa, other edtech platforms do not vary the learning pace or are able to customize the user experience. Alif Baa provides meaningful and actionable information to both the child and parent, helping them to better understand the child’s progress, and which areas need more attention. Many edtech platforms require parents to make in-app purchases to unlock further features of a game, whereas the entire Alif Baa platform is accessible for a one-time nominal fee.

FOUNDER’S STORY

Alif Baa was founded in 2014 in the United Kingdom. CEO and founder Javed Hussain conceived the app with the ambition of developing gaming apps for children with an educational focus. With a passion for mobile technology and app development, Javed studied the edtech market to see where he could make the greatest positive impact. After developing a comprehensive understanding of this space, Javed and his team decided to build their first app around teaching children the Arabic alphabet.

BUSINESS MODEL

Alif Baa is available for free download on iOS. The paid app costs $1.99 and comes with additional learning features and extra levels.

The company is developing a cross-platform integration so that users can access Alif Baa games on the go on all devices, or at home on their computer. Alif Baa is also developing its portfolio of games for different learning scenarios – these will be released early next year. This will include French to Arabic, German to Arabic – and new languages for English-speaking children.

HEADQUARTERS: Leicester, United Kingdom

WEBSITE: alifbaa.co.uk

YEAR FOUNDED: 2016

TWITTER: @alifbaa_app

FACEBOOK: facebook.com/Alif-Baa-794509563925887

INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/alifbaa_app