Digital Dream Labs

Suddenly, an army of robots invades Pittsburgh. Luckily, unless you’re allergic to cuteness, they’re harmless.

Vector and Cozmo, toys originally developed by the Silicon Valley company Anki, represent some of the most advanced robotics capabilities in the world. Anki had $100 million in revenue in 2018, and was seeking a billion-dollar IPO.

“Anki went out of business, so I saw this opportunity to get the beloved robot Cozmo, which has sold more than a million and a half units,” says Jacob Hanchar of Pittsburgh ed-tech startup Digital Dream Labs. “The products themselves reach people’s emotions and communicate on such a peer-level in ways that no other robot to date has been able to do.”

We introduced the robots Vector and Cozmo to Pittsburgh, giving them a chance for a close-up as they wheeled into town for the first time. The media loved the little guys, whose expressive eyes sparkle with AI-powered personality.

Then suddenly the pandemic hit, swiftly becoming the only story in the world, leaving very few opportunities for tiny robots to gain traction. We managed to find one with a social media campaign led by Vector, who made a video telling all his human friends about the importance of washing one’s hands to curb the spread of the virus.

Vector is pretty special—it’s the first real open-source robot of its kind—one that can be programmed to do anything possible. We wanted the world to know all about his particular powers and proclivities. More than 200,000 Vector users to date can contribute to the robot’s development. An international Kickstarter campaign to reintroduce Vector exceeded its goal in a single day with our help.

The little robots were born to be stars. We weren’t the only ones to notice.

Simon Phillips noticed. The former President of Marvel Entertainment International, who brought to life the characters and stories of four iconic brands—Disney, Pixar, Star Wars, and Marvel—joined Digital Dream Labs’ Board of Advisors. The plan is to use his licensing expertise to build an animated series for Cozmo and the racing robot Overdrive, aimed at the big on-demand streaming services. His arrival gave us another opportunity to promote Digital Dream Labs to the national media.

In addtion, the fact that they were still hiring during a global pandemic and economic downturn offered a brand-new approach. Digital Dream Labs’ educational tech games continued to sell well to families who were quarantined at home. This too became a story.