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Key people at Kiwibox.
Kiwibox operated as a social networking service primarily for teenagers, offering a platform for online connection and voice sharing. The platform achieved significant reach within its niche, accumulating over 1 million registered members during its operational period. Initially a publicly traded company under the ticker OTC: KIWB, Kiwibox later merged with Magnitude Information Systems, expanding its corporate structure. Key figures in its development included Lin Dai, who served as CEO and Editor-in-Chief, Michael Howard as COO, and Ivan Tumanov as CTO. After a long operational history, the service announced its shutdown on September 19, 2019, and subsequently became defunct. Kiwibox was founded in 1999 by Lin Dai, Michael Howard, and Ivan Tumanov. Its business model centers on publicly traded company that merged with Magnitude Information Systems, specific revenue details not known.
KiwiCo is an American educational company headquartered in Mountain View, California, that designs and sells STEM and STEAM activity kits, known as crates, and educational toys for children from infants to teenagers.[1] It serves parents, families, schools, after-school programs, camps, and community organizations by providing hands-on, play-based learning experiences that foster curiosity, problem-solving skills, and creative confidence, addressing the challenge of making enriching STEM education accessible and engaging without requiring extensive parental preparation.[1][2] KiwiCo solves the problem of delivering age-appropriate, research-backed projects that turn complex subjects into fun activities, with strong growth momentum including over $1 billion in lifetime revenue as of October 2024 and partnerships with retailers like Target and Barnes & Noble in 2024.[1]
The company's mission is to equip kids with the skills to become innovators and broaden access to hands-on STEM education, exemplified by its KiwiCo Education division, which has reached over 10,000 schools and organizations by March 2025 with NGSS-aligned lesson plans.[1]
KiwiCo was founded in 2011 by Sandra Oh Lin, an engineer and mother of three with prior experience at Procter & Gamble, PayPal, and eBay.[1][2] Lin started creating science experiments and art projects for her own children, inspired by her appreciation for hands-on activities that build creative confidence; friends encouraged her to commercialize it, leading to the launch of KiwiCrates—monthly subscription boxes for ages 5–8 focused on science, art, and play.[1][2]
The company expanded from its initial Kiwi Crate line to multiple age-specific crates and added an educational division, evolving into a broader platform with retail partnerships and school programs, humanizing its growth through kid-tested projects and a team of designers and experts.[1][2]
(Note: References to "Kiwibox" in some sources appear unrelated, describing a defunct ad platform or pet media site, not matching KiwiCo's profile.[3][4])
KiwiCo rides the wave of edtech and STEM education trends, capitalizing on rising parental demand for screen-free, hands-on learning amid concerns over digital overload and the need for future-ready skills like problem-solving and innovation.[1][2] Its timing aligns with post-pandemic emphasis on accessible education, expanding from DTC subscriptions to institutional partnerships and retail, influencing the ecosystem by scaling NGSS-aligned resources to 10,000+ schools and broadening STEM equity.[1]
Market forces like Montessori and maker movement popularity favor its wooden, creative crates, positioning KiwiCo as a bridge between consumer toys and formal education, inspiring a generation of creators in a tech-driven world.[1][5]
KiwiCo is poised to deepen its education footprint, potentially doubling school partnerships beyond 10,000 through digital expansions like app-enhanced crates or AI-personalized projects, while retail growth sustains consumer revenue.[1] Trends in hybrid learning and global STEM initiatives will shape its path, evolving its influence from family enrichment to systemic edtech impact—equipping more kids as innovators ties directly to its founding spark of turning parental ingenuity into widespread curiosity.
Key people at Kiwibox.
