CLASSCRAFT, a Quebec-based startup that provides teachers with resources to gamify their classrooms, has raised $2.8 million in a round led by Whitecap Venture Partners, with Brightspark Ventures and MaRS Catalyst Fund also participating.
Founded in 2013 by a high school physics teacher, Classcraft aims to leverage the mechanics behind popular role-playing games to help boost student engagement in the classroom. Borrowing a page from fantasy games like World of Warcraft, the company has designed a system where students are grouped in teams and pick unique character “classes,” each with unique abilities. They can “level up” and earn rewards by fulfilling objectives set by the teachers. The use of incentives is, indeed, gamification at its core.
According to the press release, Classcraft claims more than 2.5 million student users across 75 countries, including 20,000 U.S. schools.
