Play Shifu

About Play Shifu

PlayShifu, legally known as MobilizAR Technologies Pvt Ltd, is a direct-to-consumer company founded in 2016 that operates in the educational technology and toy market. The venture was started by Vivek Goyal and Dinesh Advani, two friends and IIT Kharagpur graduates who, as new fathers, wanted to make children's screen time more meaningful. They identified a gap in the market for toys that successfully merged physical and digital play while providing educational value. This led to the creation of PlayShifu, headquartered in Bengaluru, India, with a vision to revolutionize learning for children by creating interactive and immersive educational experiences.

The company's business model revolves around the sale of its physical toy products, which are augmented by free-to-download mobile applications. These products are sold through its own website, major online marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart, and eBay, and a network of offline retail stores across more than 40 countries, with North America and Asia being its primary markets. PlayShifu targets parents and educators of children aged 4 to 12, offering tools that aid in developing foundational STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) skills, critical thinking, and geography. The firm has seen significant growth, with its revenue surpassing INR 100 Cr in fiscal year 2025. To fuel its expansion, PlayShifu has raised a total of $35.8 million over 13 funding rounds from investors including Athera, Chiratae Ventures, and Bharat Innovation Fund.

PlayShifu's product portfolio is built on three main platforms: Orboot, Plugo, and Tacto. Orboot is an augmented reality-based globe that allows children to explore countries, cultures, animals, and monuments through a tablet or smartphone, bringing the world to life with visual storytelling and interactive quizzes. The Plugo line is an AR gaming system that uses a single gamepad with various interchangeable, hands-on kits to teach skills like math, spelling, music, and coding through story-based challenges. Tacto transforms a tablet into an interactive board game, where physical figurines interact with the screen to teach subjects like chemistry or strategic thinking. These 'phygital' products combine tactile play with digital interaction, creating a multisensory learning experience designed to hold a child's engagement significantly longer than typical educational apps.