MEL Science secures $2.5 million in funding

Will use the money to help bring VR and AR to chemistry education

MEL Science, the company offering a subscription service for science, just closed on a Series A funding round. The funding round, lead by Sistema Ventures, closes at $2.5 million and will be used to continue to improve on their VR and AR aspects, as well as hire additional employees. The money will also go into helping research, and eventually, launch new products in the areas of physics and biology.

“We have known Vassili for many years and we believe in his ability to create companies and lead them to success,” Alexei Katkov, President of the Sistema Venture Capital, said. “We think MEL Science’s chemistry kits are a product of the future, which perfectly reflects our investment philosophy. We all have children and we want them to get the best education, no matter where in the world they live and what opportunities they have for learning.”

For a little background on MEL, the company offers a subscription service similar to that of Birchbox or Loot Crate, but with a focus on science experiments for families and their children. For around $50 a month, families will be sent two experiment sets each month. Each set contains a series of experiments on a particular topic. The first kit sent is the starter kit, and includes many of the things you'll be using throughout the year. Glassware, a burner, funnel, plastic cups, a macro lens for smartphones, and cardboard VR goggles.

The VR goggles are used in conjunction with the MEL Science app that expands on the experiments and gives kids a level of immersion not seen with traditional science kits and experiments. With the VR and AR technology, kids will be able to "see" the experiments on the molecular level to help understand how and why their experiments are reacting the way they are.

“First you touch the science physically with your hands, then you can look inside and see the processes at the molecular level,” Vassili Philippov, founder of MEL Science, explained. “This combination of practical training and virtual reality is the ideal form of learning. It helps you not just memorize but actually understand the essence of the event.”