Biba Ventures
Biba Ventures builds augmented-reality mobile games that turn children's screen time into outdoor playground play. It licenses its smart-playground AR system to municipalities in 10 countries and serves families through freemium apps and a home kit.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersVancouver, Canada
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Biba Ventures does
Biba Ventures Inc. is a Vancouver, Canada-based private company that develops augmented-reality mobile games designed to convert children's screen time into outdoor physical play. The core product is a suite of iOS and Android apps in which a parent holds the phone as the game controller while children play hands-free on physical playgrounds equipped with proprietary AR tags. The company's primary technology stack combines mobile AR rendering, AR-tag-based location/asset triggers, and a smart-playground hardware layer that municipalities and park boards license and install on existing playground equipment. Biba also operates a small portfolio of related products: the Biba Home Adventures kit (at-home version with reusable tags), licensed branded titles based on Hotel Transylvania (Sony Pictures Animation) and Teletubbies (DHX Brands), and discontinued Biba Play Tracker.
The business model is multi-stream and hybrid. On the consumer side, Biba distributes free mobile apps (freemium) and sells a one-time physical Biba Home Kit directly via its website. On the B2B side, Biba licenses its smart-playground system to park boards, municipalities, and community stakeholders, and shares aggregated playground usage analytics with park operators as a data-monetization layer. The company reports 4,500+ installed playground locations across 10 countries and over 300,000 recorded play sessions. It is COPPA-compliant and kidSAFE certified, has received peer-reviewed validation of physical-activity outcomes through Simon Fraser University, and was named a Time Magazine Best Invention (2019, Parenting) and Fast Company Most Innovative Company (2019, #9 Games).
Biba has raised $1.3 million in a 2017 pre-Series A round led by Leonite Capital, with angel participation from BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk (now Chairman) and former PopCap executive Jason Kapalka. International expansion to Dublin, Detroit, Singapore, and Tel Aviv has been supported by Global Affairs Canada. The company operates with a 1–10 employee team and is led by CEO Matt Toner with founder Ryan Nadel and CPO Dr. Nis Bojin. Biba has no subsidiaries, no disclosed M&A activity, and operates as a founder-controlled venture-backed entity.
Biba Ventures firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Biba Ventures
- Legal name
- Biba Ventures Inc.
- Website
- https://playbiba.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Biba Ventures builds augmented-reality mobile games that turn children's screen time into outdoor playground play. It licenses its smart-playground AR system to municipalities in 10 countries and serves families through freemium apps and a home kit.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Biba Ventures industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Augmented Reality Mobile Gaming
- NAICS
- Amusement Parks and Arcades (7131)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Outdoor & Ride-On Toys Retail (CRALAFAC)
Keywords
Where Biba Ventures is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Vancouver
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Biba Ventures business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Mobile App Distribution: Biba games are distributed as free apps on iOS and Android app stores. Revenue may be generated through in-app purchases, premium content, or advertising within child-appropriate contexts.
- Biba Home Kit Sales: One-time sale of physical Biba Home Kit containing tags, stickers, and mission booklet that enables at-home play. Tags are compatible with both home and outdoor games.
- Smart Playground Licensing: Biba partners with park boards, municipalities, and playground owners to install Biba smart playground technology. Revenue likely comes from licensing fees, installation services, and ongoing support/maintenance.
- Aggregate Playground Data Reports: Biba shares anonymous, aggregated reports with park operators about general playground usage trends, helping municipalities understand how visitors use their spaces.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Biba Home Kit - Physical product for at-home play |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Biba Ventures product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Biba Ventures develops mobile games that turn children's screen time into outdoor physical play by leveraging augmented reality tags installed on physical playgrounds. Parents download and hold the iOS/Android app as the game controller while children play hands-free on smart playgrounds, with the Biba system deployed at over 4,500 locations across 10 countries. The company also sells the Biba Home Adventures Kit for at-home play and licenses its smart playground technology to municipalities and park boards.
Product overview
Biba Ventures offers a portfolio of mobile games designed to turn children's screen time into outdoor physical activity. The core offering is Biba Playground Games, mobile apps (iOS/Android) where parents hold the device as referee while children play hands-free on smart playgrounds enhanced with AR tags. This core product is complemented by the Biba Home Adventures Kit, an at-home version using compatible tags. The Biba Smart Playground System provides the underlying infrastructure deployed at 4,500+ locations globally. Licensed branded games include Teletubbies Playground Pals and Hotel Transylvania titles (Hotel Havoc, CrazyCruise). The company also previously offered the now-discontinued Biba Play Tracker app.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Biba Playground Games Mobile games (iOS and Android) that turn screen time into outdoor family play by leveraging augmented reality and parent-child co-play. Parents hold the device as referee while children play hands-free, engaging in physical activity on playgrounds enhanced with AR tags.
- Biba Smart Playground System Installed playground infrastructure featuring augmented reality tags for enhanced play experiences. Smart playground systems are deployed at over 4,500 sites in ten countries, providing data analytics for park owners on playground usage patterns, peak times, and equipment preferences.
- Biba Home Adventures Kit At-home version of Biba games that allows kids to play using screens to keep them moving around the house. Comes with Biba tags, stickers, and a mission booklet. The tags are compatible with outdoor Biba games.
- Teletubbies Playground Pals Mobile app created in partnership with DHX Brands, allowing children to play interactive playground games featuring the Teletubbies characters.
- Hotel Transylvania: CrazyCruise Interactive playground game based on Sony Pictures Animation's Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, integrating digital and physical play for families.
- Hotel Transylvania: Hotel Havoc
Quantifiable outcome
- Biba kids consistently demonstrated higher heart rates than standard playground play, engaging in greater amounts of moderate to vigorous physical activity
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Biba Ventures
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Biba Ventures technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Biba Ventures partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered moderate, major and minor.
- Ronald McDonald House BC/YukonmoderateProvided installed Biba game experience for families staying at the house, launching with Halloween scavenger hunt event.
- Global Affairs CanadamajorBacked Biba's international expansion to cities including Dublin, Detroit, Singapore, and Tel Aviv. Critical partner for a small Vancouver-based company going global.
- Sony Pictures AnimationmajorLicensed Hotel Transylvania IP for Biba games including Hotel Havoc, CrazyCruise (based on Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation).
- DHX BrandsmajorPartnered to launch Teletubbies Playground Pals app in the UK as part of DHX campaign promoting new Teletubbies episodes on CBeebies.
- RAND CorporationmajorResearch partner consulted for Biba's design philosophy. Dr. Deborah Cohen of RAND wrote about Biba in NRPA Magazine, calling out positives especially regarding parent-child engagement.
- Simon Fraser UniversitymajorAcademic research partner for heart rate and activity studies. Peer-reviewed research published in Journal of Child Health Care validates Biba's physical activity outcomes.
- City of Wanneroo, AustraliamajorInstalled Australia's first Biba smart playground at Kinkuna Park, which contributed to Biba winning the NGAA Award.
- PLAYCOREmoderatePartnered with PLAYCORE for NRPA conference data workshop alongside Dr. Deborah Cohen (RAND) and Dr. Russ Carson.
- kidSAFEmajorkidSAFE certified Biba App Series as COPPA compliant, an important certification for children's apps.
- WildbrainmoderatePartner brand whose logo appears on Biba's Partners page.
- NelvanamoderatePartner brand whose logo appears on Biba's Partners page.
- PBSmoderatePartner brand whose logo appears on Biba's Partners page.
- Three FanminorPartner brand whose logo appears on Biba's Partners page.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Biba Ventures competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Zwift: Zwift is a digital fitness platform that combines screen-based gaming with physical exercise (indoor cycling), sharing Biba's broader thesis of using digital engagement to drive physical activity — though Zwift serves adult fitness enthusiasts rather than children on playgrounds.
- Voodoo: Voodoo is a leading mobile games publisher known for hyper-casual and casual games with massive install bases; it competes with Biba for organic mobile app store discovery and parental attention within the kids/family mobile gaming category.
Broad incumbents
- Outfit7: Outfit7 is a Slovenia-based mobile game developer behind Talking Tom Gold Run and other billion-download kids franchises; it competes for the same parent/child mobile gaming audience as Biba's freemium apps, though without the AR playground overlay.
- Rovio Entertainment: Rovio (Angry Birds franchise) is a publicly-traded mobile gaming company focused on family and kids entertainment — comparable to Biba as a kids mobile games publisher leveraging well-known IP and character-driven gameplay, though without the outdoor/physical activity hook.
- KOMPAN: KOMPAN is a global incumbent in playground equipment manufacturing that has begun integrating digital play elements and smart playground concepts into municipal installations, overlapping with Biba's B2B municipal smart playground offering.
Emerging players
- Playfinity: Playfinity is a Norwegian emerging player building connected sports equipment (smart balls, rackets) with companion apps that combine physical play with digital engagement — directly comparable to Biba's mission of bridging physical and digital play for children, though focused on sports equipment rather than playgrounds.
Regional players
- Lappset Group: Lappset is a Finland-based playground equipment manufacturer that has launched digitally-enhanced playground products (including the Funky fitness playground), making it a regional peer targeting the same smart-playground integration market as Biba but primarily serving European municipal clients.
Direct peers
- Niantic: Niantic (Pokémon GO, Ingress, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite) is the closest direct peer — a developer of AR mobile games designed to drive real-world outdoor exploration and physical activity, sharing Biba's core proposition of using smartphones to get kids and families moving outside.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Biba Ventures social profiles
Digital presenceBiba Ventures compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Biba Ventures financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Biba Ventures leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Biba Ventures funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Biba Ventures M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Biba Ventures
What does Biba Ventures do?
Biba Ventures develops mobile games that turn children's screen time into outdoor physical play by leveraging augmented reality tags installed on physical playgrounds. Parents download and hold the iOS/Android app as the game controller while children play hands-free on smart playgrounds, with the Biba system deployed at over 4,500 locations across 10 countries. The company also sells the Biba Home Adventures Kit for at-home play and licenses its smart playground technology to municipalities and park boards.
Is Biba Ventures a public or private company?
Biba Ventures is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Biba Ventures founded?
Biba Ventures was founded in 2016. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Biba Ventures based?
Biba Ventures is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Biba Ventures make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Mobile App Distribution is the primary driver. The others are biba Home Kit Sales, smart Playground Licensing and aggregate Playground Data Reports.
Who are Biba Ventures's main competitors?
Others on record are Zwift and Voodoo. Broad incumbents are Outfit7, Rovio Entertainment and KOMPAN. Playfinity is listed as an emerging player. Lappset Group is listed as a regional player. Niantic is listed as a direct peer.
Does Biba Ventures have an API?
No public API is recorded for Biba Ventures.
What industry is Biba Ventures in?
Biba Ventures's product category is Augmented Reality Mobile Gaming. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRALAFAC, Outdoor & Ride-On Toys Retail. Its NAICS code is 7131 and its SIC code is 7900.