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Maka Kids is redefining kids’ screen time with a streaming app optimized for well-being, not engagement
In a media landscape dominated by Baby Shark and Skibidi Toilet, one startup is reimagining children’s media by focusing on well-being, not watch time.
Maka Kids is building a streaming app for children ages zero to six featuring content designed for healthy development. The startup has now raised $3 million in seed funding to scale its platform, and is currently accepting waitlist sign-ups.
Unlike traditional streaming platforms, Maka Kids doesn’t have recommendation algorithms, ads, or auto-play. Instead, it is designed to offer a predictable experience that supports learning, creativity, and emotional growth.
Maka Kids was founded by Isabel Sheinman and Tanyella Leta, who previously founded Nabu, a non-profit venture that brought children’s books to more than 15 million children across 26 countries.
Sheinman and Leta were introduced at a dinner back in 2013 through a mutual friend and immediately hit it off, the pair told TechCrunch in an email. They said they initially over the fact that they both came from families of educators and entrepreneurs, an experience that first inspired Nabu and later fueled their passion for Maka Kids.
They began dreaming up the concept of Maka Kids after discussions with their friends, families, and customers at Nabu. They heard from parents who felt increasingly anxious about the effects of screen time on their children. Building on those concerns, the duo conducted hundreds of user interviews, which ultimately shaped their solution: a children’s streaming app designed with well-being at its core.
“We were seeing parents get completely overwhelmed trying to weigh decisions about what was unsafe, what was good, and understand why their kid was melting down every time screen time ended,” Sheinman said. “At the same time, we watched the children’s media ecosystem get louder, faster, more algorithmically driven. Looking at this problem, we felt uniquely positioned to deliver the relief that parents craved.”
All of the content on Maka Kids is evaluated using Maka Imprint, the startup’s patent-pending developmental framework created through two years of R&D in collaboration with researchers at the Yale Child Study Center. The framework maps seven core domains of early childhood development across more than 650 developmental indicators, including language, creativity, emotional skills, and growth mindset.
Maka Kids licenses content directly from IP holders and individual creators. The startup is also partnering directly with studios and animators to produce original content.
Every show on the platform goes through an analysis of pacing, stimulation levels, color contrast, and narrative structure. Its catalog features slower-paced, lower-stimulation content with genuine narrative arcs and stories from around the world.
The duo believes an important factor often missing from the screen time debate for kids is how much the right story, delivered at the right moment, can positively support a young child.
“Stories can support language development, emotional regulation, curiosity, and give kids a sense of how wide the world is,” Leta said. “Children’s media at its best is one of the most powerful developmental tools families have, when it’s designed with this intention. Most of the platforms children watch on today were designed for adult audiences, with a kids experience crudely bolted on as an afterthought. The incentive for the majority of kids’ streaming platforms is watch time, not well-being.”
When parents create a profile for their child, they can select channels focused on a variety of topics, such as kindness, STEM, emotional regulation, or movement, and then set preferred session lengths. From there, Maka Kids delivers curated, developmentally vetted content tailored to those selections.
The session then ends naturally, with wind-down cues from characters to help children calmly transition away from screen time without a meltdown.
Maka Kids is running a private beta on iOS this summer and plans to launch publicly this fall on iPhone and iPad, with casting support via AirPlay. Maka Kids says it already has thousands of families on its waitlist.
As for the startup’s business model, the app will operate on a subscription model, priced at $11.99 per month, with a discounted annual option.
In terms of the new funding, the startup plans to use it to grow its catalog of vetted shows. The round was led by Michigan Rise, with participation from Union Heritage Ventures, Flybridge, Also Capital, Detroit Venture Partners, Song United, Invest Detroit, Ann Arbor Spark Capital, and Segal Ventures, as well as angel investors.
“Longer term, our vision is to become the trust layer for every digital experience children have,” Sheinman said. “Embedded into games, edtech products, and shows, Maka Imprint can help developers align their products to what is actually good for kids and families. The kids category deserves a trusted industry standard, and that’s what we are building.”
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The Nigerian non-oil export sector is facing threats from logistics and energy costs despite the massive growth potential the sector signals, a new report revealed.
The report, titled ‘3T Impex Non-Oil Export Index Report 2026’, published on Wednesday, revealed the paradox of Nigeria’s international trade sector.
Published by 3T Impex Trade Consulting, the report synthesised data from 87,824 export transactions between 2021 and 2025, alongside a detailed sentiment survey of 94 active non-oil exporters across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
The report stated that while exporter confidence and global demand have reached record highs, severe structural bottlenecks, specifically skyrocketing logistics and energy costs, are actively neutralizing these gains and pushing smaller exporters out of the market.
The findings present a 75-point chasm between market ambition and operational reality.
According to the report, the ‘Business Confidence Index’ stands at a strong 87.8 out of 100, with 75.5 per cent of exporters reporting actual sales growth and 91.5 per cent expecting global demand to improve.
This optimism is further reflected in the ‘Predictive Outlook Index’, which scored an exceptional 92.8, as 83.0 per cent of respondents plan to invest and expand their capacity.
Challenges
However, this optimism is heavily overshadowed by the ‘Logistics Benchmark Index’, which plummeted to a critical low of 12.8 out of 100, the weakest index in the entire study.
In the index, a staggering 77.7 per cent of exporters reported increased inland transport and port handling costs over the period.
“Nigeria’s non-oil exporters are confident, market-facing, and growing. But a Logistics Benchmark of 12.8 out of 100 is a structural emergency, not a policy inconvenience.
“When 77.7 per cent of exporters face rising logistics costs while simultaneously recording the strongest sentiment scores (87.8 confidence, 92.8 outlook), the system is trapping its own best performers,” the report stated.
The report further identified operational hurdles, rather than market demand, as the primary constraints to scaling.
It showed that 51.1 per cent of exporters cited the high cost of energy and processing as their absolute number one barrier, which forces many to avoid value-addition and revert to exporting raw commodities.
Also, 28.7 per cent identified quality and standardization rejections as their top constraint, highlighting the urgent need for better certification infrastructure to meet strict global requirements like the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).
Additionally, the report warned of a worsening national risk, noting that 71.7 per cent of all exports now exit through just two Lagos ports (Tincan Island and Apapa), with Tincan’s share alone growing to 45.9 per cent in 2025.
Intervention
While the total export value grew by an impressive 93 per cent over five years to reach $6.17 billion in 2025, the actual transaction count dropped from 18,280 in 2021 to 16,683 in 2025.
This indicates that Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are being systematically excluded from the formal export system due to prohibitive logistics overheads.
The report presented other key metrics that reveal a stagnant operating environment. The ‘Regulatory Efficiency Index’ scored 54.8, reflecting a system that acts as a passive constraint.
The ‘Financial Health Index’ stood at a fragile 52.7, indicating that current export growth is occurring despite a lack of robust financial system support.
The report further advocated immediate, deliberate action from policymakers and financial institutions to embark on urgent recommendations addressing the high export costs issues.
READ ALSO: How US, Chinese investment models are reshaping Nigeria’s trade, energy sector
The report advised policymakers to diversify export port infrastructure by activating Onne Port to relieve Lagos, resolving grid power reliability for export zones, expanding NEXIM export credit insurance, and creating logistics-linked pre-export financing to support struggling businesses.
It also advised exporters to consolidate shipments and prioritize quality compliance.
The report presented tools for tracking exporter sentiment and performance, and provided actionable insights to accelerate Nigeria’s export diversification agenda to unlock sustainable economic growth.
Nigerian reggae star Jah Device delivered an electrifying performance in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, captivating fans with his energetic stage presence and powerful reggae sound. The performance drew music lovers and reggae enthusiasts who turned out in large numbers to witness the celebrated artist perform some of his notable songs. This thrilling performance was done on the 45th Bob Marley day and his fans who attended were well thrilled.
In his words, he said Port harcourt is seen as the hidden treasure in the reggae music industry. Looking at how successful the event went because those that were invited showed up and stayed from 6 PM up till 5 AM.
Jah Device said that he used music to fight terror, saying that music is my tool and its value cannot be overemphasized.
He went ahead to say that even in Plateau State, music is one of the biggest employer of labor, For example last year December, we did an event a countdown to new year where businesses recorded high patronage, restaurants and eateries had good sales.
In my band, My band i employ about 20 people who play instruments and do backup for me.
He went ahead went on to appreciate The Mayor of Hounsing My ACE China who is one of the pillars of the music industry. He has been a bossom friend, brother and was my classmate during school days
Jah Device, born Vincent Kaweng Nyam, hails from Plateau State, Nigeria, and has built a reputation as one of the country’s prominent reggae voices. Known for his conscious style of music, he uses his songs to promote peace, justice, love, and social awareness, earning him admiration from fans both within and outside Nigeria. I Am Device aka Jah device is the brand ambassador of the mayor of housing in Nigeria
Over the years, the reggae artiste has gained international recognition through projects and collaborations beyond Nigeria. His song “Revive Justice” attracted global attention and contributed to his participation in international music initiatives, while his work continues to connect with audiences across different countries.
His appearance in Port Harcourt further highlighted his growing influence in the reggae industry, as fans applauded his performance and commitment to using music as a tool for positive change. The event reinforced Jah Device’s status as one of Nigeria’s leading reggae ambassadors on the global stage.
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