WeWantToKnow (DragonBox)

What WeWantToKnow (DragonBox) does

WeWantToKnow, operating as DragonBox and legally constituted as Kahoot DragonBox AS (Orgnr: 922 693 021), is a Norwegian game-based learning studio founded in Oslo in 2012 by math teacher Jean-Baptiste Huynh and cognitive scientist Patrick Marchal, PhD. The company develops a portfolio of educational mobile applications that teach mathematics and reading to children aged 4 and above through visual, game-driven mechanics grounded in the proprietary "DragonBox Method" — a motivation-based pedagogical framework (Engage, Explore, Reflect, Apply). Its core technology centers on digital manipulatives (the "Nooms" characters inspired by Cuisenaire and Montessori rods) and adaptive progression logic that adjusts challenge level to a learner's pace, delivered through native iOS, Android, and Chromebook apps plus a complete K-4 mathematics curriculum (DragonBox School / DragonBox Skole).

DragonBox monetizes through three channels: (1) one-time consumer app purchases on Apple App Store and Google Play (covering Numbers, Big Numbers, Algebra 5+, Algebra 12+, Elements/Geometry, Multiplication, Learn Chess, and Kahoot! Learn to Read/Poio); (2) annual subscription licensing of DragonBox School to schools and districts, with a Norwegian-language "DragonBox Skole" edition sold directly into primary schools; and (3) inclusion in the parent company's Kahoot!+ subscription bundle. The go-to-market combines product-led growth (freemium teacher access, app store discovery) with a sales-led motion for institutional school contracts. Institutional deployments include Uruguay's national Ceibal 1:1 device program (since August 2015), full-curriculum adoption in Finland and Norway schools (since August 2018), and a Skedsmo County, Norway pilot (2016). The company has been a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kahoot! AS since May 2019, operating as a pedagogy studio within the Kahoot! group with team presence in Norway, France, and Finland.

Name

WeWantToKnow (DragonBox)

Legal name

Kahoot DragonBox AS

Website

https://dragonbox.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

WeWantToKnow (DragonBox), a wholly-owned Kahoot! subsidiary since 2019, develops award-winning game-based mobile apps that teach mathematics and reading to children ages 4+ through its proprietary DragonBox Method, sold via app stores, school licensing, and the Kahoot!+ subscription.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Learning Software

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Math & STEM Learning Technology (incl. Coding/Robotics Platforms) (EDAJAMAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Game-Based CS & Computational Thinking Platforms (EDAFANAD), Curriculum, Lesson Planning & Instructional Content Platforms (EDAJAMAD), Virtual Test Prep & Online Supplemental Instruction (K–12) (EDAJADAI)

Keywords

• Educational game apps
• Math learning software
• Children's learning games
• School curriculum tools
• Adaptive learning apps

Headquarters

HQ city

Oslo

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Consumer App Sales: Individual app purchases through Apple App Store and Google Play for parents to buy for home use by children.
2. School/Classroom Licensing: DragonBox School sold directly to schools and school districts as a complete math curriculum. Bulk purchases available for classrooms. DragonBox Skole marketed in Norway for primary school use.
3. Kahoot!+ Subscription: DragonBox apps available through Kahoot!+ subscription service offering access to all award-winning math and reading apps plus premium Kahoot! features.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

WeWantToKnow (operating as DragonBox) develops and sells a suite of award-winning game-based learning apps that teach mathematics (number sense, algebra, geometry, multiplication) and reading to children ages 4 and up. The company also offers DragonBox School, a complete K-4 mathematics curriculum for primary schools, and distributes its products through the Kahoot!+ subscription service.

Product overview

DragonBox is an award-winning educational game studio that offers a portfolio of game-based learning apps focused on mathematics and reading for children ages 4+. The product line includes DragonBox Numbers (number sense for ages 4-8), DragonBox BIG Numbers (long addition/subtraction), DragonBox Algebra 5+ and Algebra 12+ (algebra fundamentals to advanced), DragonBox Elements/Geometry (Euclidean proofs), Kahoot! Multiplication (times tables), Learn Chess with DragonBox, and Kahoot! Learn to Read/Poio (reading). The company also offers DragonBox School, a complete mathematics curriculum for primary school grades 1-4 used in schools across Norway and Finland. The apps run on the Kahoot! platform and are available through Apple App Store and Google Play. All products follow the DragonBox Method: a motivation-based learning approach using Engage, Explore, Reflect, and Apply principles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DragonBox: Series of award-winning educational math apps for children including Numbers, Big Numbers, Algebra 5+/12+, Elements, Multiplication, Chess, and Poio (reading)

Products and services

• DragonBox Algebra 5+ An intuitive algebra learning game for children ages 5 and up that teaches the process needed to solve basic linear equations. Cards with drawings are gradually replaced with variables and numbers as the learner progresses.
• DragonBox Algebra 12+ An advanced algebra game building on Algebra 5+ with more levels and harder equations covering addition, division, multiplication, parentheses, fractions, factorization, and substitution for children ages 12 and up.
• DragonBox Numbers An early math app for children ages 4-8 that teaches number sense through four unique activities featuring the Nooms characters, building understanding, flexibility and fluidity with numbers rather than rote memorization.
• DragonBox BIG Numbers A resource management game for ages 6-9 that teaches big numbers, long addition and subtraction. Players complete 4,000+ operations to gather resources, trade them, and unlock new worlds.
• DragonBox Elements (Geometry) A geometry game for ages 9+ where players save Euclid's Island from a dragon by learning properties, definitions, and relations of geometric shapes through Euclidean proofs.
• Learn Chess with DragonBox A chess learning adventure where players join grandmaster Max to solve puzzles and beat bosses, teaching chess rules through exploration and providing cognitive exercise.
• Kahoot! Multiplication A multiplication game with 20+ mini games that turns memorizing times tables into an engaging experience, adapting to each child's level to ensure mastery of every table.
• Kahoot! Learn to Read (Poio) A reading app that enables children to crack the reading code through exploration of a game world, adapting to individual skill levels and teaching vowels, phonics, and reading through an adventure where children ultimately write their own fairy tale book.
• DragonBox School A complete mathematics curriculum for primary school grades 1-4 used in Finland and Norway, containing books, manipulatives, and pedagogical software. Marketed as DragonBox Skole in Norway.

Quantifiable outcome

• 92.9% mastery of basic linear equations in 1.5 hours of gameplay
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Kahoot! ASflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2019In May 2019, DragonBox and Kahoot! joined forces. DragonBox became part of the Kahoot! group, with DragonBox operating as a pedagogy studio within Kahoot!. The partnership combined DragonBox's learning games expertise with Kahoot!'s platform to bring educational experiences to more classrooms worldwide. Legal entity became Kahoot DragonBox AS.
• Magnus CarlsencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2018DragonBox released 'Magnus' Kingdom of Chess' in June 2018, developed in collaboration with world chess champion Magnus Carlsen. The game makes chess fun and easy to learn through an adventure-based format.
• Ceibal (Uruguay)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 August 2015DragonBox Algebra and DragonBox Elements entered all classrooms in Uruguay as part of the Ceibal 1:1 Device Project in August 2015. Ceibal distributed DragonBox products to schools throughout Uruguay as part of the national education technology initiative.
• Center for Game Science at University of WashingtonflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2013DragonBox partnered with the Center for Game Science at the University of Washington to launch the Algebra Challenge using adaptive versions of DragonBox Algebra. The challenge engaged thousands of students worldwide to study learning patterns and maximize exposure to pre-algebraic concepts. The partnership generated significant research insights on how students learn mathematics.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Prodigy Education: Prodigy is the closest direct competitor: a game-based, RPG-styled K–8 math learning platform sold both direct-to-consumer (freemium subscription) and to schools/districts. It overlaps DragonBox's pedagogy-as-game mechanic, adaptive learning, target age, and dual GTM (consumer app + classroom licensing), and directly competes for the same North American and global K–6 math budgets.
• Khan Academy: Khan Academy offers a free, mastery-based K–12 math (and reading) experience with adaptive practice, videos, and a teacher/cohort dashboard — directly overlapping DragonBox's core K–12 math learning mission. Khanmigo AI tutoring extends the same teachers-and-parents audience DragonBox targets, and its non-profit/free positioning pressures DragonBox's premium consumer and school pricing.
• IXL Learning: IXL is a subscription-based K–12 adaptive learning platform covering math, ELA, science, and social studies, sold both to families and to schools/districts. It competes head-to-head with DragonBox School on K–8 math curriculum adoption and with DragonBox's adaptive engine on per-skill mastery-based learning.
• Matific: Matific is a K–6 game-based math learning platform with strong adoption in Australia, Latin America, and emerging markets and a school-licensing motion. It is the closest competitor to DragonBox School's curriculum-style positioning and competes in the same age range, math domain, and game-based pedagogy niche.
• SplashLearn: SplashLearn is a K–5 game-based math and reading platform sold via freemium consumer apps and school/district subscriptions. It directly overlaps DragonBox Numbers/Big Numbers and Kahoot! Learn to Read on early-childhood math and reading, targeting the same age 4–8 segment with a similar game-based adaptive approach.
• Zearn Math: Zearn is a K–5 math curriculum and adaptive companion to classroom instruction, widely adopted in US public school districts (notably as a partner to Eureka Math/EngageNY). It competes directly with DragonBox School for primary-math curriculum adoption and shared with teachers via a freemium classroom dashboard model.

Broad incumbents

• Kahoot!: Kahoot! is DragonBox's publicly-listed parent company and operates a broader K–12 engagement and assessment platform (live quizzes, study, apps). Although it owns DragonBox, it is the most relevant strategic peer because DragonBox's content is distributed and monetized via the Kahoot!+ subscription and the Kahoot teacher/school dashboard — i.e., DragonBox competes for the same school wallets as Kahoot's broader portfolio and adjacent EdTech products.
• Duolingo: Duolingo is the gold-standard game-based, mobile-first learning app and a clear reference point for DragonBox's gamified pedagogy and freemium consumer motion. While Duolingo's core subject (language) differs, it competes with Kahoot! Learn to Read/Poio and Poio in the children's early-learning app category and sets the consumer-acquisition benchmark DragonBox is benchmarked against.

Emerging players

• Photomath: Photomath (now part of Google) is a mobile-first K–12 and higher-ed math helper that uses computer vision and step-by-step guidance to solve and explain math problems. It overlaps DragonBox's middle-school/algebra audience on mobile math learning but is positioned as a homework/just-in-time aid rather than an in-classroom curriculum.
• Osmo (PlayMonster): Osmo is a hybrid physical-digital learning system for kids (iPad-based manipulatives + apps) covering early math, reading, coding, and STEM. It overlaps DragonBox on the early-childhood math experience layer (Number Sense, geometry, algebra-ready play), and competes for the same parents-and-schools discretionary budget via a slightly different (hardware-plus-app) delivery model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wewanttoo
• Facebookfacebook.com/DragonBoxApp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/2666083

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about WeWantToKnow (DragonBox)