printer icon
February 27, 2023 EdTechNZ

EdTechNZ member Kai’s Education continues to impress in overseas markets

EdTechNZ member Kai’s Education is making headway in the US with its award winning educational robot “Kaibot”, launched late last year.

The little AI-enabled learning robot is designed to help five to 15-year-old children develop coding skills, and last year won the Learn-to-Code category in the Smart Toys competition in Dubai. It was also named as a finalist in the DA top EdTech product of the year award for 2023 and is up for other international awards.

Kai’s Education founder Bruce Jackson is currently in the US to get Kaibot in front of educators and into US schools. While in the US he is attending major edtech conferences to showcase Kaibot, including the Future Education Technology Conference in New Orleans, TCEA in San Antonio, IDEAcon in Chicago, and MECA in Jackson, Mississippi.

Kai’s Education’s first product, Kai’s Clan, is already in US schools, so Bruce knows how to navigate getting products into the US education market. He says the US market’s education business model is controlled by districts, so if you can get their buy-in, the district can filter your product down and you get them instantly into schools. Kai Clan’s retail price is US$1,000 which brought challenges, so Bruce is confident that Kaibot’s starting price of US$95 makes it more approachable and accessible, and it’s also easier for a teacher who has never coded before.

Bruce says liability insurance is another challenge when launching a product in the US as it’s very easy to sue. For example, if a young child swallows something or something breaks off the product and they swallow that, they can take you to court. So you go through many hurdles to make sure your product is compliant and lawyers fees for advice can be expensive. 

Despite these challenges Kai’s Education hopes to impress influential tech educators as they travel across the US with hands-on workshops and professional development seminars. With computer science and digital technologies now becoming a compulsory part of the curriculum right around the world, the potential for Kaibot is massive.

To learn more about Kaibot, including how founder Bruce came up with the concept,
view this article or visit Kai’s Education’s website. 

EdTechNZ EdTechNZ is the voice of EdTech in New Zealand, supporting the growth of the sector. Our purpose is to drive the creative use of technology, inside and outside the classroom, for better student outcomes. We aim to facilitate a world class education system for all New Zealanders and showcase local EdTech to the world.