Immersive and educational virtual reality experiences provided by UCL startup Musemio

Musemio makes mobile virtual reality (VR) games that allow children to explore arts, culture and history in a fun, accessible way.

The company’s core product is a simple headset and mobile app which deliver different educational games and experiences on various themes. These range from ancient Egyptian culture, dinosaurs and planetology to the history of computing.

Musemio’s approach is curriculum-led and evidence-based. It's underpinned by pedagogy developed from research at IOE's EDUCATE programme (IOE is UCL's faculty of education and society).

A sense of wonder 

UCL alumna Kaitlin Fritz (UCL History of Art 2018) and Olga Kravchenko founded Musemio in 2018 at UCL’s entrepreneurship hub.

“From the beginning, we recognised the importance of having an educational product that not only sparks children’s wonder in arts and culture but also reinforces key learning outcomes for their age,” says Kaitlin.

“We wanted to showcase Musemio to children who may not have the opportunity to explore these wonders in-person. When a child puts on a Musemio headset, they’re teleported into a world of culture that challenges them through quests, artefact investigations and, most importantly, fun!”

A collaborative journey

Musemio’s app is free to download and available on both iOS and Android devices. Bespoke learning packs are sold on Musemio’s website. 

Kaitlin and Olga have continued to test and iterate their products at every stage and have engaged over 3,000 children in their trials. 

They’ve also worked with museums and cultural organisations around the world on collaborative digital initiatives. 

Musemio has attracted a litany of awards and taken part in prestigious programmes and accelerators. They’ve received over £150,000 in grants, scholarships, and equity investment.

Highlights include:

• winning Innovate UK’s Fast Start competition for ‘cutting-edge’ startups
• winning ‘Most Promising Startup’ at the 2019 UCL Awards for Innovation and Enterprise
• collaborating with the Hellenic IT Museum in Greece
• taking part in Finland’s xEdu, world-leading edtech accelerator
• being part of Sky’s Women in Technology Scholars Scholarship
• being in Bethnal Green Ventures social impact accelerator programme
• taking part in the Google Female Founders Residency

In addition to the app and VR games, Musemio is launching various at-home learning aids that push the brand beyond the screen. These include podcast-like stories with Musemio's robot guide Mio, featuring arts and history topics, and an ebook of at-home activities and stories for kids. 

A supportive community

Musemio has previously taken part in the extracurricular entrepreneurship programmes at UCL Innovation & Enterprise, receiving business advice, free office space and mentoring.

They’ve also worked with the Global Innovation team (now Innovate UK Business Growth team) at UCL Innovation & Enterprise, who have helped them secure international partnerships. 

Jerry Allen, Director for Entrepreneurship at UCL Innovation & Enterprise, said: “Musemio is an incredibly exciting startup. They use the latest digital technology to bring benefits to society in terms of accessible learning and education. They’ve benefitted enormously by being embedded in the UCL community, from incorporating pedagogy research to accessing bespoke business advice and mentoring. I think this provides a solid foundation and will allow them to grow and develop through uncertain times.” 

Links

Find out more about:

• support available to SMEs
• entrepreneurship support for UCL students and recent graduates
• IOE’s EDUCATE programme
• Innovate UK £40 million rapid response grant
• UCL startup Musemio brings history of computing alive with new VR game

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Image is screenshot from 'The Case of the Missing Cleopatra' © Musemio