Savvy moves for global domination

Three years ago John Joyce began creating a virtual world full of fun games that also help to educate children, and now Savvybear.com is getting ready to take on the world, writes Trish Dromey

Dublin company Savvybear aims to have 50m children from all over the world playing games on its website within the next three or four years.

Right now, the three year-old start-up company has one million players in 180 countries. Company founder and CEO John Joyce believes this very ambitious target is feasible and is now in the process of raising €3m in order to scale-up his business internationally.

The idea for the game and the company came to him three years ago when he watched his own children play Moshi Monsters and Club Penguin on theiInternet and thought: “I can do that, but with education.”

He set about creating a virtual world called Savvybear.com, where kids can log on, choose an avatar and play games. “Kids see it as a game, but it is more than that because it has a virtual school with English and Maths which are linked to the curricula in Ireland, the UK and the US,” Mr Joyce says.

A software developer who had worked in the IT industry for 20 years, Mr Joyce chose a virtual world with a bear because children between the ages of five and eight like bears. “We called it savvy because it’s a smart word that appeals to kids,’ he says.

Securing some seed finance from family and friends, Mr Joyce started by buying up a number of internet domains with the word bear in them, to avoid having his website copied or imitated.

Within a few months of coming up with the idea, he had quit his job, hired a graphic artist and two software developers and set up the business in Dunboyne, Co Meath. The company started out as Seoige Technology and Mr Joyce pitched for funding on Dragons’ Den in 2011 netting €80,000 in return for a 24% stake.

Last year, Seoige changed its name to Redverton, moved from Meath to Dublin and raised €750,000 in funding from private investors and Enterprise Ireland, which identified it as a high potential start-up.

Now, the Savvybear virtual world has also been upgraded and translated into seven languages including Irish, Mandarin, German, French, Russian, Polish and Spanish.

The company started with a web version of its game but has since added an app for Apple which costs 99c and one for Android which costs 79c. As with other online games it can be played for free off the web but the company also offers the option of membership for €4.95 a month.

The focus is on the UK market and Savvybear is advertising on the Disney channel. Mr Joyce says research showing that the game helps children learn will be a useful marketing tool.

“Kids see it as a game and their parents see it as educational and safe”, says Mr Joyce who is targeting five million users by the end of 2015.

The plans are not limited to online games, and the company is now in discussions with licensing companies with a view to launching a range of Savvybear merchandise on the Christmas market in 2015, which will include bears, clothes and a variety of toys. The company also plans — next year — to establish a US office and to continue working on developing a suite of educational games.

Profile

Company: Redverton

Location: Parkwest, Dublin.

CEO: John Joyce.

Staff: Nine.

Business: Develops educational online games for children.

Website: Savvybear.com