Exclusive – KidZui, maker of family-friendly Internet products like a safe browser and a video destination for kids, has scored another $2.4 million in funding from existing investors, led by Mission Ventures and Costella Kirsch.
The capital will be used for the development of a new video production division dubbed Zui Studios.
Part of the funding will also be used for the promotion of the first show (Zui Buzz, see below) and the further development of Zui.com, which the company bills as the safest one-stop content aggregator and search engine for kids.
KidZui has recruited Adam Jacobs, who will oversee all content creation for the division, as Executive Producer for Zui Studios. Jacobs, who was nominated for two Emmy awards for direction, headed On-Air promotions for Time Warner Cable, and wrote for the HBO series Tales From the Dark Side.
Zui Buzz, the first Zui Studios production, is a daily update for kids about what is trending on the Web, including the best videos, sites and games, which will air on the Zui.com homepage.
The company will also be on the lookout for kids with a sizeable audience and remarkable passion and/or talents on YouTube to promote them to ‘Zui Stars’, aiming to give kids “the viral video stardom they seek without the exposure parents fear”.
All comments and video replies are screened by KidZui content curation team, which includes parents and teachers.
KidZui founder and CEO Cliff Boro tells me KidZui properties received about 1.8 million unique visitors in November 2011, and keeps on growing across the board.
Founded in 2006, Kidzui is based in San Diego, California.