Demand for educational tablet games drives $12M in VC for Osmo maker

Last month we reported that educational game/toy company Tangible Play had secured over $2 million in preorders for its inaugural product, the Osmo iPad augmented reality game accessory kit. Given that preorders started at $49, the sum suggested there was significant pent-up demand for developers to design educational tablet games for kids. Investors seem to agree, as Tangible Play announced today that it has raised $12 million in a round of funding from venture capital firms like Accel Partners, K9 Ventures and Upfront Ventures. Tangible Play also cut a deal with Apple to have Osmo kits sold in Apple's online and real-world stores. The company has already started shipping kits out to schools and other preorder customers -- the kit itself comes with the Osmo Reflector, a tablet stand, letter tiles and wooden shapes for use in Osmo-supported games. The company has not yet opened its software up for other developers to make games that support Osmo, though the critical accessory -- the Osmo Reflector -- is just a mirror which fastens over the iPad's front-facing camera, enabling it to see objects on the flat surface in front of the tablet when it's stood up.