Safe spaces for people to be vulnerable and transparent are not just for adults. Children also need these type of spaces to cultivate their growth and maturity.

In 2020, Zak and Leah Ringelstein created one of those spaces for children by founding Zigazoo, a Serena Williams-backed startup. 

The Core Team

According to Crunchbase, the children’s social media app just announced the closing of a Series A round of $17 million led by Liberty City Ventures on June 28, 2022. Some of the participants in this funding round included the National Basketball Association, Causeway Capital Management, Dapper Labs, OneFootball, Medici VC, Animoca Brands, and Lightspeed Venture Partners.

With the completion of this current funding round, Zigazoo has raised $25 million in venture capital funds, Crunchbase reveals.

“We’re educators and parents who’ve been trying to make the world a better place for kids through technology, and we are now the largest and safest social network for kids in the world,” Zak Ringelstein said to Refresh Miami.

Into The Metaverse

With the Series A funding round complete, Zigazoo is preparing to take the startup organization to the metaverse by creating “a Web3 vision that empowers kids as creators.”

Leveraging their plans in the digital space, Zigazoo created and sold out of three NFT collectibles for children in partnership with Moonbug Entertainment.

Ziga-What? Zigazoo

Zigazoo is a social network with a mission “to give children a safe and positive community where they can find joy, develop healthy online relationships, and aspire to their greatest potential as tomorrow’s digital citizens,” per the company’s website.

Currently a top-rated app in the Apple store, Zigazoo has in-app appearances from celebrities like Tiffany Haddish and LeBron James. If you’re trying to envision how the app works, imagine a positive-only content version of TikTok.

The target audience for the app is children aged 6-12, and it already has over one million users.