Roominate

Roominate was a toy company established to address the gender gap in STEM fields by creating construction sets specifically for young girls. Founded in 2012 by Alice Brooks and Bettina Chen under the parent company Maykah Inc., Roominate aimed to make science and engineering accessible and enjoyable through creative play. The founders, both with master's degrees in mechanical engineering from Stanford University, were motivated by their own experiences as some of the few women in their program. They traced their interest in engineering back to childhood toys that encouraged building and tinkering, a catalyst for developing a product that could offer similar inspiration to girls.

The company's journey began with a successful Kickstarter campaign that raised over $85,000, far exceeding its $25,000 goal. A significant milestone occurred in 2014 when Brooks and Chen appeared on the sixth season of "Shark Tank." Their pitch resulted in a $500,000 investment from Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner in exchange for a 5% equity stake in the company. This investment and the associated exposure propelled the company's growth, leading to a substantial increase in sales and retail presence in major stores like Toys "R" Us, Walmart, and Barnes & Noble. By the end of 2015, Roominate was acquired by toy manufacturer PlayMonster (formerly Patch Products) for an undisclosed amount. Following the acquisition, the founders exited the business to pursue new opportunities, with Chen joining Apple and Brooks eventually moving to Khosla Ventures.

Roominate's core product was a line of modular building kits targeted at girls aged six to ten. These sets consisted of interlocking plastic pieces, similar to traditional dollhouses but with an engineering focus. What set Roominate apart was the inclusion of circuitry, motors, and LED lights, allowing children to add functional elements like working fans, elevators, or carousels to their creations. The open-ended nature of the kits encouraged problem-solving and spatial skills development without restrictive step-by-step instructions. The business model was based on the sale of these physical toy kits through mass-market retail stores, online retailers like Amazon, and directly from the company's website. Although the brand appears to have been discontinued by PlayMonster in recent years, its legacy was in demonstrating a market for toys that merge creative, narrative-based play with fundamental engineering concepts.

Keywords: STEM toys, girls construction toys, engineering kits, Alice Brooks, Bettina Chen, Shark Tank, PlayMonster, educational toys, circuit toys, modular building, DIY dollhouse, creative play, Kickstarter success, Mark Cuban, Lori Greiner, Maykah Inc, toys for girls, building and construction, electrical circuits for kids, open-ended play