What if screen time isn't the problem?
High-achieving students spend as much time gaming as they do studying.
Yet they excel academically. Here's what we discovered...
The Data That Changes Everything
Notice the pattern? High achievers aren't avoiding games—they're using them as cognitive training. Meanwhile, traditional education violates nearly every principle of effective learning.
The Education Crisis Nobody's Talking About
What Everyone Believes
- Screen time is destroying education
- Games are a distraction from learning
- We need to return to "traditional" methods
- Children lack focus and discipline
What the Data Actually Shows
- Strategic games improve problem-solving & grades
- Games use optimal learning architecture
- Traditional methods violate brain science
- Children show incredible focus... in games
The Real Problem
19th-century teaching methods for 21st-century minds
Games provide what education doesn't:
The Market Already Validated This
Minecraft Education
$200M+ revenue
Never marketed as educational, teaches programming & spatial reasoning
Roblox
42% users under 13
Kids voluntarily learn Lua programming to build better games
Prodigy Math
150M students
Kids practice math for hours to progress in the RPG
Korean Tutoring
$20-27B annually
Parents desperate for engaging educational alternatives
The Winning Pattern
Enter The Smithy
We're not just building another edtech app. We're creating the category-defining educational RPG that parents want kids to play.
Learning Science First
Designed using Oakley's research on focus/diffuse thinking and interleaved practice
Engagement Psychology
McGonigal's principles of fiero, optimal challenge, and intrinsic motivation
Data Sovereignty
Families own their data. We build trust, not surveillance.
Network Effects
Every teacher contribution improves outcomes for every student
See It In Action
A Business Model Built for the $100B Opportunity
Platform economy with compounding network effects
Best-in-class unit economics driven by:
- Word-of-mouth acquisition (parents become advocates)
- 6+ year average family engagement
- <2% monthly churn (vs 5-10% industry standard)
Multiple Revenue Streams, One Platform
Family Subscriptions
$29-49/month
Predictable revenue parents prefer over microtransactions
Creator Economy
70/30 split
Teachers earn real income creating content
AI Premium
+$19/month
Personal AI tutors and advanced analytics
Institutional
$5/student
Schools integrate what families already use
The Network Effect Advantage
Our platform creates a virtuous cycle where consumers naturally become producers
Stage 1: Value Consumers
Families Join for Content
Quality Learning Content
Parents see gaps in content for their child's needs
Stage 2: Value Producers
Families Become Creators
More content attracts more families → More families create more creators → Stronger network effects
Conservative Path to $300M ARR
Year 1: Foundation
$600K ARR
1K families • MVP validation • Core mechanics
Year 2: Creator Economy
$6M ARR
10K families • 1K creators • Network effects begin
Year 3: Scale
$30M ARR
50K families • Geographic expansion • Institutional pilots
Year 5: Market Leader
$300M ARR
500K families • 30K creators • Category defining
Why We Win: The Data
Sustainable Competitive Advantages
Data Sovereignty
Families own their data. Regulatory compliance built-in. Trust becomes our moat.
Network Effects
Platform value compounds with every user. Competitors can't replicate community.
Learning Science
Designed using Oakley + McGonigal research. Superior outcomes drive retention.
Creator Lock-in
Teachers build businesses on our platform. Their success ensures our success.
The Investment Opportunity
Current Round
$3M Seed Round
$15M pre-money valuation
$25K minimum investment
$1.2M committed
Use of Funds
- 40% - Product Development & AI
- 25% - Community Building
- 20% - Creator Acquisition
- 15% - Operations & Legal
Milestones
- ✓ MVP with 500+ beta families
- ✓ 85% monthly retention
- ✓ First teacher earnings
- → 10K families (Q2 2025)
- → Series A ready (Q4 2025)
"Glass Umbrella isn't just fixing education—they're building the platform where humans learn to collaborate with AI. This is a generational opportunity."- Early Angel Investor
The Team
Experienced operators at the intersection of gaming, education, and AI
Will Watkins
CEO & Co-Founder
DevOps leader, gamification expert. Built learning systems for Fortune 500.
Doug Watkins
CTO & Co-Founder
Full-stack engineer, game developer. Created viral learning experiences.
Lake Watkins
Head of Game Design
Veteran game designer. Shipped 10+ titles focusing on player agency.
Michael Hamilton
VP Engineering
15+ years in AAA gaming. Shipped MultiVersus, Dragon Age II.
Join Us in Capturing the $100B Opportunity
Educational gaming is growing 3x faster than traditional gaming. We're perfectly positioned to define this category with proven demand and massive undersupply.
Or reach out directly:
invest@glassumbrella.io