Infant development platform BabySparks has closed a $2 million in seed funding, the startup announced on Friday. Ocean Azul Partners headed the round, which also included participation from Miami Angels, Kairos, Marstar Investments, Lou Kreisberg and Steve Goodman.

WHAT THEY DO

BabySparks has built an app-based tool for parents to track and stimulate the development of their young children. After making a profile, the app delivers a handful of age-appropriate activities via video for the parent and child that blend playtime and cognitive development. Users can log their child’s developmental milestones along the way, which allows the platform to adapt to each child’s progress while highlighting specific areas in need of more focus.

“Parents love what we do, and we are very grateful for the 4.6 rating we've received in the app store from over 21,000 of our users. We are committed to helping every child reach his or her full potential," Gustavo Rodriguez, founder and CEO of BabySparks, said in a statement. “Eighty-five percent of our children's brains are formed by age three. Parents and caregivers can significantly impact this process by frequently interacting with them in meaningful ways. BabySparks leverages the latest research to help parents and caregivers do exactly that.”

BabySparks’ iOS and Android app is available in English and Spanish. The company noted in its announcement that the platform has logged more than 3.5 million downloads from users living in 180 countries.

WHAT IT’S FOR

Rodriguez said in the funding announcement that with the new backing, the startup will “accelerating the development of our product, adding content for new age ranges and expanding our team.”

MARKET SNAPSHOT

Mobile tools are a common resource for new parents, a trend that prompted the CDC to release its own free app nearly two years back for tracking children’s growth and development. Meanwhile, Cognoa has long been fine-tuning its own tool, which uses artificial intelligence to identify the early warning signs of autism in kids.

ON THE RECORD

"It is simply amazing to see what Gustavo and his team have been able to accomplish to date," Salomon Sredni, partner at Ocean Azul Partners, said in a statement. ”We love how helpful their platform is to parents and caregivers, and love to hear the praise they get from users worldwide. Helping children reach their potential is no easy task but they are clearly getting there one child at a time!"