Epic Grabs $30M

Epic!, the leading digital reading platform for kids 12 and under, today announced that it is now reaching more than 10 million children and over 500 million books have been read on the platform since launch. With a large reach and an extremely engaged audience of parents, teachers and – most importantly – young readers, Epic! has set its sights on more than books and is well on its way to becoming a responsible digital media brand – just for kids.

Having signed up more than 1.7 million paying subscribers to date, Epic! has cracked the code when it comes to getting kids excited about reading and learning. The award-winning subscription service costs $7.99 a month and provides unlimited access to an expansive content library offering more than 35,000 books, audio books and learning videos from 250 top publishers, including HarperCollins, Macmillan, Abrams, Sesame Workshop, National Geographic Kids and more.

"We like to say the Internet wasn't built for kids, but Epic! was," said Kevin Donahue, Co-Founder of Epic!. "Inspired by the needs of our own children for a safe, kid-friendly place for digital books, we designed Epic! to nurture a love of reading and learning by empowering kids to choose their own books and safely explore their interests. Now we've discovered that books and reading are the foundation for an unlimited world of fun, responsible content for kids."

"We have worked with Epic! for a few years and are impressed by their respect for quality children's literature, delivered in a fun way that parents, teachers and publishers can appreciate," said Angus Killick, Vice President and Associate Publisher, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group.

By offering free access to teachers and librarians, Epic! has built a highly engaged community, with more than 1 million teachers in 91% of U.S. elementary schools signed up for Epic!. Hundreds of thousands of teachers and librarians use Epic! weekly to support student learning across a wide variety of subjects, from reading and literacy to history, geography, the arts, science and math.

In addition to the ability to freely access the Epic! library (which is three times the size of a typical elementary school library and always growing), teachers have curated almost 2 million content collections on topics like ocean animals, coding and Native American history for students of all grade levels. Teachers have also created nearly 200,000 interactive quizzes on Epic! to gauge comprehension of reading material, which have been taken more than 35 million times by children in schools and homes.

The five-year-old company has seen consistently strong growth across the board, increasing reach and doubling its revenue every year. Kids have read more than 500 million books on Epic! since launch; 300 million last year alone. To support its growth, Epic! has secured more than $50 million in funding from Menlo Ventures, Reach Capital, Translink Capital, Rakuten Ventures, Innovation Endeavors, and others. The most recent round of $30 million was led by Evolution Media, the global tech, media and entertainment investment company backed by TPG Growth and Creative Artists Agency.

"In today's media landscape, we identified a massive opportunity in the kids' space for a provider of premium, streaming, curated and safe books, video and audiobook content," said Salim Mitha, Partner at Evolution Media. "Based on their success to-date and traction with schools and families, we believe that Epic! is fabulously positioned to not only fill this void but continue to grow as more families and kids discover the wonderfully engaging educational product and entertainment experience."

Although the Company's focus has primarily been on growing its presence within the U.S. market, Epic! has also seen strong demand in countries like Korea and Japan, where the platform is helping kids learn English through popular English content. Epic! currently offers 3,000 books in Spanish, French and Chinese, many of which are bilingual with English to help with learning and appeal to speakers of different languages.

"We have been encouraged by an incredible community of educators, parents, world-class publishing partners, investors and passionate kids who have supported our vision since day one, and we're just getting started," said Suren Markosian, CEO and Co-Founder of Epic!. "We're excited about the future as we rapidly establish ourselves as a must-have service for kids and families."

About Epic!
Epic! is the leading digital reading platform for kids, created to nurture a love of reading and learning in children everywhere. Epic!'s award-winning subscription service includes unlimited access to the world's best digital library for kids 12 and under, encouraging kids to independently explore their interests and develop their passions in a completely safe and engaging environment. Kids can freely browse fiction and non-fiction titles, learning videos and teacher-created quizzes and reading lists. Epic!'s library holds more than 35,000 books, read-to-me books, audiobooks and videos from 250 leading publishers such as HarperCollins, Macmillan, Sesame Workshop, National Geographic Kids, Smithsonian Enterprises. Founded in 2014, Epic! now reaches more than 10 million kids. A favorite among educators, teachers in 91% of U.S. elementary schools have signed up to use Epic!. To learn more about Epic!, visit www.getepic.com, or follow Epic! on Facebook and Twitter.