In March 2016, the company launched Cubetto, a coding toy famous for introducing computer programming to children ages three and up without the use of screens, with a record-breaking $1.6 million Kickstarter campaign, becoming the most funded ed tech brand in Kickstarter history.

On June 20, 2017, returning to Kickstarter with a new ecosystem of play maps and activity books that expand play and STEM learning around multi-award winning Cubetto, Primo Toys achieved its goal of $100,000 in just 3 hours and 38 minutes. As of today, just 18 days into its one-month program, the company has raised $500,000. 60% of those funds come from the U.S.

What’s the secret?

American parents today understand the importance of their children learning how to code, and Cubetto offers a unique approach that teaches this important skill to the youngest ever age group in history -- without involving screen time.

The first programming toy approved by Montessori educators worldwide, the Cubetto Playset consists of a friendly robot made of hard-wearing wood, a physical programming board, and a set of colorful coding blocks that make up a programming language you can touch.

Cubetto has won dozens of awards from around the world. At important U.S. professional conferences for educators, such as ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) and ALA (American Library Association), both held just last month, teachers and librarians have repeatedly spoken positively about the product and how it can benefit children. This widespread enthusiasm translates into crowdfunding attention.

I invited Filippo Yacob onto the show to find out more.